BOOK REVIEW: WHEN BREATH BECOMES AIR BY PAUL KALANITHI

 

What would you do if you became a doctor and patient simultaneously?

Paul Kalanithi is a neurosurgeon who had IV lung cancer at the peak of his career as a doctor. Before earning his degrees in Science and Medicine, he earned his degrees in English Literature, Biology, History, and Philosophy. He switched to Science and Medicine because for him, neurosurgery "seemed to present the most challenging and direct confrontation with meaning, identity, and death." By operating a person's brain, neurosurgeons "work in the crucible of identity." Since the cognitive system "mediates our world experience, any neurological problem forces the patient and the family, ideally with a doctor as a guide, to answer the question: what makes life meaningful enough to go on living?".

In the past, as a doctor, he thought that death was inevitable but not before his eyes. However, his initial view of death changed after he found out that he had IV lung cancer at the age of 36. He's previously viewed death as something certain but not in sight making him unable to give meaning to life properly. This view was certainly very different when he became a patient. Since living as a doctor and patient, he has come to appreciate life more and give it meaning. For the rest of his life, he tried to find what was important and what made his life worthwhile. This search was like finding puzzle pieces and assembling them into a complete puzzle, which resulted in two important decisions; having a child and writing this book.

Interestingly, this book reflects his love for literature, which made him survive in the face of death. Kalanithi created this book as a story of his journey as a doctor and patient. For me, this novel is outstanding because it opens the doctors' viewpoint about how the patients are suffering from their diseases, and makes the doctors realize how terrible it is to wait for death. Through this, he also teaches us more about living this life with positive and moral things. 

The series of words written philosophically and intensely is excellent but quite heavy for some readers. Unfortunately, Kalanithi hasn't had time to finish this book so his wife wrote the ending instead. Therefore, the book's ending seems rushed and leaves a message that is not very deep.

Totally, I give four-point five stars out of five to the whole story because it amazed me about his struggle in life and made me realize how hard it is to be a patient. Extremely, I highly recommend this book to those who want to learn about life differently.

BOOK REVIEW: FIVE FEET APART BY RACHAEL LIPPINCOTT WITH MIKKI DAUGHTRY AND TOBIAS LACONIS

 

Can we love each other by distance?

It describes the conditions between Stella Grant and Will Newman - the main characters - in the novel. 

Stella Grant, someone with Cystic Fibrosis, has tried to be optimistic in undergoing treatment at the hospital most of her life. She keeps her distance from anyone to get the possibility of a lung transplantation. This time, she tried her best to keep her alive. Six feet apart, period.

Will Newman, is someone with Cystic Fibrosis and also B. Cepacia that makes him worse. He wants to leave these treatments because he knows he will struggle more than anyone. That's why, he forced himself to go all of these for those who love him. 

The need for love makes them try everything through this condition to get together but still protect each other. So, both of them need to keep their distance standing alive. No one dares to break the rule if they break it one of them will die. No exceptions. 

This novel told me about a fatal disease I'd never heard of and it showed me how hard lives are because of it. People might not know about it, but it could be new information for those who don't, like me. Besides that, I learned a lot from Stella and Will about how the human touch is important, how hard keeping lives is, and how trying to be positive is - even though I don't have a friend who has this disease this fiction shattered my feelings into pieces. Such an incredible distance saves both Stella and Will but kills them simultaneously. I really love this novel, it has made me appreciate life more and also keeps me alive like them.

Although this is such new information, I'd like to know that it is all real, especially about the quality of Cystic Fibrosis itself. It was a new thing for me and I love getting new data points in this book, but I need to know more about them. 

Totally, I give four-point five stars for the whole story because it made me cry a lot. I appreciate the authors who made this amazing story. The emotions that those characters felt, I could feel it too. Such is one of the strongest emotions that I ever felt. 

I highly recommend this book for those who are interested in learning about health, especially cystic fibrosis. I also recommend it to those who love teenage love stories and learning to not give up on life.