When Breath Becomes Air

Paul is both the author of the memoir. He was born in Manhattan and moved to Arizona at age ten, where he spent the rest of his child and teenage years. An early relationship with literature, inspired by his mother, leads Paul to focused and fruitful years in grade school. His high marks eventually earn him acceptance to Stanford, from which he receives degrees in English literature and biology. The intersection between these two interests constantly steer him toward critical thinking, a practice that makes life “rich and full” (35).

Although a graduate program in English literature leaves Paul unsatisfied, it only strengthens his need to learn and explore. It is medicine that becomes a sustainable career path for him, and Paul decides to devote his life to the practice of neurosurgery. The years of classes and cadaver dissection lead to his residency, during which his philosophies of human life and death become central to his practice. He learns to perform his duties swiftly and accurately and works in a neuroscience laboratory when he’s not at the hospital.

It is near the end of his residency, at a major turning point in his career, when he’s diagnosed with lung cancer.