ASCO Book Club: Hear Dr. Lucy Kalanithi Discuss “When Breath Becomes Air”

ASCO Book Club: Hear Dr. Lucy Kalanithi Discuss “When Breath Becomes Air”

Guest Commentary

May 26, 2016

When Breath Becomes Air coverBy Teresa Gilewski, MD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Chair, 2016 ASCO Book Club

Over the past several years, the ASCO Book Club has become a wonderful Annual Meeting tradition, offering us a chance to explore our profession from a fresh angle and reflect on the importance of human interactions in the practice of medicine.

I am honored to serve as Chair of this year’s ASCO Book Club, featuring the New York Times bestseller  When Breath Becomes Air, written by Stanford neurosurgery resident Paul Kalanithi, MD, after his diagnosis with metastatic lung cancer at age 36. His deep insights and inspirational eloquence invite us to reconsider the experience of illness and our perspective of mortality.

In this jewel of a book, Dr. Kalanithi beautifully balances science and philosophy, medicine and literature, heartbreak and humor. Readers will be moved by his courage, his wisdom, his deep love for his family,  his powerful commitment to his vocation, his sincere search to elucidate what makes life meaningful, and his genuine honesty. 

Dr. Kalanithi’s widow, Lucy Kalanithi, MD, FACP, who wrote the epilogue of When Breath Becomes Air, will join us to speak about the book and her husband's life.  A book signing will take place in the S100 lobby immediately following the conclusion of the session; books will be available to purchase onsite, or you may bring your own copy to be signed.

ASCO Book Club will take place on Saturday, June 4, at 4:45 PM-6:00 PM in Room S100b. All are welcome, even if you have not read the book.

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