Episode · How I Write · 2025-11-19
David Perell & Atul Gawande: books mentioned on How I Write
How to Make Your Writing More Visual — Atul Gawande
Atul Gawande discussed Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, Complications by Atul Gawande, How We Die by Sherwin Nuland, and The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Being Mortal
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande is a profound exploration of aging, serious illness, and the limitations of modern medicine in dealing with the end of life.
Discussed“Being Mortal is 12 years old now. And, uh, and it's been, uh, it's been amazing.”
Where to get it
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Complications
Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande is a foundational collection of essays exploring the uncertainties, ethical dilemmas, and everyday realities of medical practice.
Discussed“I wrote about a case in my first book, Complications. I came back again and better.”
Where to get it
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How We Die
How We Die by Sherwin Nuland is a medical and philosophical examination of the physical processes surrounding the end of life in modern society.
Discussed“Sherwin Nulan a surgeon who wrote How We Die in 1980.”
Where to get it
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The Emperor of All Maladies
The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee is a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of cancer that traces the disease from its earliest historical mentions through modern scientific efforts to cure it.
Discussed“He wrote a book called Emperor of Maladies which won the Pulitzer.”
Where to get it
