When Breath Becomes Air
by Paul Kalanithi
Mentioned once across 1 show · first heard Jul 2026 on On Purpose with Jay Shetty.
The general take
Jay Shetty found When Breath Becomes Air deeply moving and says he'd been wanting to have this conversation since reading it. He credits the book with its powerful authenticity, written at such a pivotal moment in the author's life that it felt unlike anything he'd encountered before.
About
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD This inspiring, exquisitely observed memoir finds hope and beauty in the face of insurmountable odds as an idealistic young neurosurgeon attempts to answer the question, What makes a life worth living? “Unmissable . . . Finishing this book and then forgetting about it is simply not an option.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, People, NPR , The Washington Post, Slate, Harper’s Bazaar, Time Out New York, Publishers Weekly, BookPage An Oprah Daily Best Nonfiction Book of the Past Two Decades • A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Century At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer.
Who said what
Jay Shetty👍 Recommends
…Jay referencing Paul Kalanithi's memoir and how it impacted him
“I have waited for this conversation since I've read the book and When Breath Becomes Air. And I read it when I still lived in New York, when I moved to the States. And it moved me so much because I hadn't really come across a book like that, that felt like it was written at such a powerful moment and such a pivotal moment in someone's life.”
On Purpose with Jay Shetty — Lucy Kalanithi: What Loss Can Teach Us About Living (The Perspective Shift That Changes Everything)at 02:42
Listener reviews
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