When Breath Becomes Air

At 36 years old, just as Paul Kalanithi is about to complete his training as a neurosurgeon, he suddenly finds himself in the patient role, diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. He is facing death just as he and his wife are bringing a little girl into the world and is forced to examine a question that has “possessed” him throughout his medical training: “[W]hat, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life”? This posthumously published memoir is both devastating and inspiring—a must-read for everyone.