When Breath Becomes Air
A neurosurgeon's memoir, written while he was dying of lung cancer at 36
Paul Kalanithi had nearly finished his neurosurgical training when the diagnosis arrived, and he wrote this in the time he had left. The book reached print in 2016, after his death. It moves between the training, the diagnosis and the question of what makes a life worth living once you can count what is left of it. Short, and not a comfortable read.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Morgan HouselRecommends
Writer · The Psychology of Money
On his list of 23 books that changed how he thinks. The book makes you reexamine what is important, by his note there. It also makes you appreciate the days you get.
Source: Collaborative Fund: 23 Books That Changed My Life
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under stress.
- Book$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Man's Search for Meaning
Viktor Frankl on surviving the camps and choosing your response
Backed by 4 of 54 stacks: 0 do it, 2 recommend it, 2 have discussed it - Book$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
The Daily Stoic
366 short Stoic passages with modern commentary, one per day
Backed by 4 of 54 stacks: 0 do it, 3 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - Book$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Collected thinking on wealth, specific knowledge and happiness
Backed by 3 of 54 stacks: 0 do it, 3 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - Book$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Digital Minimalism
A philosophy for using much less technology, on purpose
Backed by 2 of 54 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - Book$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Ego Is the Enemy
Ryan Holiday on the ways self-importance wrecks aspiring, succeeding and failing
Backed by 2 of 54 stacks: 0 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - Book$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Slow Productivity
Do fewer things, work at a natural pace, obsess over quality
Backed by 2 of 54 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 1 have discussed it
Book entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.