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When Breath Becomes Air

When Breath Becomes Air

By Paul Kalanithipaperback3 January 2017
$24.99
or 4 payments of $6.25 with Learn more
Booklovers earn $1.20 in rewards
For readers of Atul Gawande's Being Mortal and Henry Marsh's Do No Harm, an unforgettably powerful and heart-breaking book about how to live.

** SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER**

'Rattling. Heartbreaking. Beautiful.' Atul Gawande, bestselling author of Being Mortal


At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade's training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, the next he was a patient struggling to live.

When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi's transformation from a medical student asking what makes a virtuous and meaningful life into a neurosurgeon working in the core of human identity - the brain - and finally into a patient and a new father.

What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when when life is catastrophically interrupted? What does it mean to have a child as your own life fades away?

Paul Kalanithi died while working on this profoundly moving book, yet his words live on as a guide to us all. When Breath Becomes Air is a life-affirming reflection on facing our mortality and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a gifted writer who became both.

'A vital book about dying. Awe-inspiring and exquisite. Obligatory reading for the living' Nigella Lawson

PRODUCT DETAILS

RATINGS & REVIEW

31/05/2017 10:05:50 PM - Tayarra
When Breath Becomes Air is one of the most beautifully written, heartbreaking, and affecting memoirs I have ever read. Even though the book is incredibly sad, it is ultimately life affirming and worth the emotional investment.
When Breath Becomes Air is one of the most beautifully written, heartbreaking, and affecting memoirs I have ever read. Even though the book is incredibly sad, it is ultimately life affirming and worth the emotional investment. At the age of thirty-six, Paul Kalanthi, a doctor nearing the completion of his neurosurgeon training, is diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. This revelation becomes a dividing line in his life, something of a reversal of fortune. Paul goes from being a healthy physician with limitless possibility ahead of him to a sick patient with a very uncertain future. Paul's love affair with literature began at an early age. "Books became my closest confidants, finely ground lenses providing new views of the world." Fearing that her son would not receive an adequate education in the small Arizona town where his father opened a cardiology practice, Paul's mother supplemented with endless literary classics. Paul, convinced that he would not go into medicine, decides to major in English literature but also completes a degree in human biology because of his fascination with the brain. "Literature provided a rich account of human meaning; the brain, then, was the machinery that somehow enabled it." After completing a Master's degree in English literature and wanting to discover where biology, morality, literature, and philosophy intersect, Paul chooses to apply to medical school. "Words began to feel as weightless as the breath that carried them." He longed for a direct experience. He selects neurosurgery because for him it was truly a calling. After the cancer diagnosis, Paul struggles with answering the philosophical questions that plague him. "The tricky part of illness is that, as you go through it, your values are constantly changing. You decide you want to spend your time working as a neurosurgeon, but two months later you may feel differently... Death may be a one-time event, but living with terminal illness is a process." Paul never claims to have the answers, but he perseveres and continues to live. Paul and his wife Lucy even decide to have a baby together. He goes back to the OR until he is no longer able to practice and then dedicates himself to writing this book. Unfortunately, Paul lost his battle in March of 2015, two years after his diagnosis. I am sure different people take different things from this book, but I was captivated by Paul's love of literature. He even credited literature for bringing him back to life during his first course of treatment. Paul's words are so eloquent, and frankly, I had to restrain myself not to quote the entire book. After learning of the cancer, Paul joked with a friend, "The good news is I've already outlived two Brontës, Keats, and Stephen Crane. The bad news is that I haven't written anything." Well, Paul Kalanthi did leave behind a powerful work of literature that I highly recommend. Indulge me for one final quote: In the end, it cannot be doubted that each of us can see only a part of the picture. Human knowledge is never contained in one person...It grows from the relationships we create between each other and the world, and still it is never complete. And truth comes somewhere above all of them.
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22/06/2022 12:20:40 PM - Amber
Incredible and moving, a must read for any medical/nursing students
The first book that has ever moved me so much as to shed a tear, I recommend this to any Medical or Nursing student for an understanding of what it's like to be the patient, and the doctor.
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SHIPPING AND RETURNS


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Christmas shipping cutoff dates

Delivery options: Shipping to an Australian address

Service Price per order
Australia wide
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After dispatch
Saver Delivery (Tracked)
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1 The expected delivery period after the order has been dispatched via your chosen delivery method.
2 Express is not available on all items.
3 Please note this service does not override the status timeframe "Dispatches in", and that the "Usually Dispatches In" timeframe still applies to all orders.

NB All our estimates are based on business days and assume that shipping and delivery don't occur on holidays and weekends.

 

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You will notice that each product page on the Web site includes an estimated delivery date range for Saver Delivery, as well as for Express Delivery if it is available for that product.

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In addition to the estimated delivery date range, on the product page you will find how long an item will take to be dispatched.

  Dispatch time
The time it takes to verify the order, complete invoicing, prepare your item(s) and dispatch.  
Explanation
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Immediate download

Immediate download

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Dispatches next business day

Usually dispatches next business day+

In stock at our warehouse.

Dispatches in 4-5 business days

Usually dispatches in 4-5 business days+

Order placed with supplier, estimated arrival time to warehouse is 4-5 business days. 

Dispatches in 5-14 business days

Usually dispatches in 5-14 business days+

Order placed with supplier, estimated arrival time to warehouse is 5-14 business days.


+ All our estimates are based on business days and assume that shipping and delivery don't occur on holidays and weekends.

 

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All our estimates are based on business days and assume that shipping and delivery don't occur on holidays and weekends.

 

Tracking delivery

Saver Delivery: Australia post

Australia Post deliveries can be tracked on route with eParcel. You can track your delivery by going to AusPost tracking and entering your tracking number - your Order Shipped email will contain this information for each parcel.

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International delivery

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International orders

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Parcel Weight New Zealand Hong Kong US & Canada United Kingdom
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2kgs $40 $50 $60 $70
2.5kgs $45 $60 $70 $80
3kgs $50 $65 $75 $90
3.5kgs $55 $75 $85 $100
4kgs $60 $80 $95 $105
4.5kgs $65 $85 $100 $115
5kgs $70 $95 $110 $125

 

If your order weighs more than 1.0kg (2.2lb, roughly equivalent to 1 or 2 paperbacks), we'll let you know what your delivery charge will be, and seek your approval before sending your order.

Please note that some countries may charge the recipient duties on the 'import' of parcels from time-to-time. As these charges are the responsibility of the recipient, please check the customs service in your destination country to see if charges are applicable.

To track orders sent by DHL, go to DHL tracking

 

Delivery restrictions

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