Book · 2016 · philosophy
When Breath Becomes Air
- episodes
- 13
- podcasts
- 7
- people
- 10
- episodes recommend it
- 5
This one is probably going to make you cry if you read it, is called When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. And this is also a little bit of a posthumous book.
Questions about When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Who recommends When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi on podcasts?
Pamela Paul (2 episodes), Anthony Pompliano (1 episode), Jim O'Shaughnessy (1 episode) and Matt Mullenweg (1 episode) have recommended When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi on podcasts. In all, 10 people brought it up across 7 podcasts (4 people recommended it).
Which podcasts mention When Breath Becomes Air the most?
The Book Review (7 episodes), ChooseFI (1 episode), Invest Like the Best (1 episode), Lex Fridman Podcast (1 episode) and On Purpose with Jay Shetty (1 episode), among 7 podcasts in all.
Is When Breath Becomes Air recommended, or only discussed?
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi was recommended in 5 episodes and discussed without a recommendation in 8 episodes, as of 2026-07-01.
What do people say about When Breath Becomes Air?
Matt Mullenweg on The Tim Ferriss Show (2020-04-13): "This one is probably going to make you cry if you read it, is called When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. And this is also a little bit of a posthumous book."
When was When Breath Becomes Air last mentioned on a podcast?
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi was last discussed on On Purpose with Jay Shetty by Jay Shetty on 2026-07-01.
What they say about it
- Brings the reader to tears“make you cry”3
- Written by a doctor who died“doctor who died”2
The best things said about it
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, and it's just phenomenal.
And then i think one of the best books probably ever written is uh i think it's called when breath becomes air um or air becomes breath.
One last one, which was one where I'm not a crier, but at the end of the book, I did have tears in my eyes. It was written by a young doctor who died. And it's called When Breath Becomes Air.
I have waited for this conversation since I've read the book and When Breath Becomes Air and I read it when I still lived in New York when I moved to the states and it moved me so much.
Jay Shetty On Purpose with Jay Shetty · Jul 2026 At the top of the list Paul Kony uh stays at number one with when breath becomes air his posterous published account of his battle against cancer.
And I expect death will return to the list again next week when I imagine Paul Ken's book when breath becomes air hits the list yeah that's book that's getting a lot of attention Paul keni of course um the Doctor Who died young.
Where and when it comes up
How it comes up
Most episodes, by podcast
10 people who brought it up
- Pamela Paul3 episodes · recommended in 2
- Anthony Pompliano1 episode · recommended in 1
- Jim O'Shaughnessy1 episode · recommended in 1
- Matt Mullenweg1 episode · recommended in 1
- Greg Cowles2 episodes
- Andrew Solomon1 episode
- Jay Shetty1 episode
- Judith Newman1 episode
- Kelly Corrigan1 episode
- Lucy Kalanithi1 episode
Why people recommend it
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi is a profound memoir by a brilliant neurosurgeon facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, exploring the meaning of life, mortality, and the transition from healer to patient. Anthony Pompliano praised the work on the Lex Fridman Podcast, calling it one of the greatest books ever written while discussing the weight of time and human mortality. Similarly, Matt Mullenweg recommended the book on The Tim Ferriss Show as a very special, deeply emotional posthumous account that is likely to move the reader to tears. Jim O'Shaughnessy shared a similar sentiment on Invest Like the Best, admitting that the book's moving ending brought tears to his eyes, a reaction that co-host Patrick echoed by describing the final paragraph as completely gutting. Pamela Paul discussed the memoir favorably on The Book Review on multiple occasions, using it as a benchmark to compare and recommend other powerful non-fiction titles, while also celebrating its place at the top of the bestseller lists. Jay Shetty brought up the memoir on On Purpose with Jay Shetty to express how deeply moved he was when he first read it, leading into a broader conversation with Lucy Kalanithi about grief, legacy, and how their daughter learns about her late father through stories. Additionally, Devin discussed reading the phenomenal book during the hot seat segment on ChooseFI, cementing its wide appeal.
Every mention
Pamela Paul it's a little bit like if when breath becomes air by Paul colony was your thing then then this is for you 3
“it's a little bit like if when breath becomes air by Paul colony was your thing then then this is for you”
“it had in that issue ù ù paul colony's when breath becomes air ù a memoir that came out earlier this year which is would make anyone cry”
“I want to talk just uh really quickly about the the top books on the non-fiction side because they are I'm showing my card such great books it's really nice to see we've got when breath becomes erab by Paul Colony”
Anthony Pompliano and then i think one of the best books probably ever written is uh i think it's called when breath becomes… 1
“and then i think one of the best books probably ever written is uh i think it's called when breath becomes air um or air becomes breath”
Jim O'Shaughnessy One last one, which was one where I'm not a crier, but at the end of the book, I did have tears in my eyes.… 1
“One last one, which was one where I'm not a crier, but at the end of the book, I did have tears in my eyes. It was written by a young doctor who died. And it's called When Breath Becomes Air.”
Matt Mullenweg On that topic a little bit, and this one is is probably going to make you cry if you read it, is called Whe… 1
“On that topic a little bit, and this one is is probably going to make you cry if you read it, is called When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. And this is also a little bit of a posthumous book”
Greg Cowles at the top of the list Paul Kony uh stays at number one with when breath becomes air his posterous publishe… 2
“at the top of the list Paul Kony uh stays at number one with when breath becomes air his posterous published account of his battle against cancer”
“and I expect death will return to the list again next week when I imagine Paul Ken's book when breath becomes air hits the list yeah that's book that's getting a lot of attention Paul keni of course um the Doctor Who died young”
Andrew Solomon and when breath becomes air by Paul Colony 1
“and when breath becomes air by Paul Colony”
Jay Shetty I have waited for this conversation since I've read the book and when breath becomes air and I read it when… 1
“I have waited for this conversation since I've read the book and when breath becomes air and I read it when I still lived in New York when I moved to the states and it moved me so much”
Judith Newman more recently Paul colony's book when breath becomes air 1
“more recently Paul colony's book when breath becomes air”
Kelly Corrigan like when breath becomes air 1
“like when breath becomes air”
Lucy Kalanithi And so like that so she can look at that and then she asks for like stories I'll tell her a story of like o… 1
“And so like that so she can look at that and then she asks for like stories I'll tell her a story of like oh here's a story about daddy like in a chess tournament”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker1
“And then I guess a non-like self-help book that I read recently was When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, and it's just phenomenal.”
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“one is there's a lot of really great non-fiction on the list right now when breath becomes there”
“a book that you predicted would be on the list this week uh Paul Ken's book when breath becomes air”