When Breath Becomes Air

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. In the memoir When Breath Becomes Air, neurosurgeon and writer Paul Kalanithi (1977-2015) describes his upbringing, his education, his career, and the ways in which his cancer diagnosis and treatment affected his life. What themes, concepts, and ideas might readers likely encounter in a memoir with these components?

Teaching Suggestion: Readers might create a list of 6-8 potential themes and concepts that they anticipate encountering in the memoir. It may be useful to refer back to this “anticipation guide” as they work through the text; those unfamiliar with Kalanithi’s background might be surprised to learn of his focus on literature during his early education and his passion for language and poetry, which impact the memoir’s writing, themes, and ideas in direct and indirect ways. Readers’ lists can be amended throughout the reading process as they encounter unexpected themes and concepts.

• “How Long Have I Got Left?” - This op-ed from The New York Times was written by Kalanithi in 2014, shortly after receiving his cancer diagnosis.