At some point in their lives, all people wonder about how they will die, and the more thoughtful and reflective among us will wonder if they will die well. That's really what this book is about. Paul Kalanithi was a gifted neurosurgeon who wanted to be more than just a doctor to people – he was more like a medical pastor, seeking to care for people with sensitivity and compassion as they faced their own deaths. Little did Paul know that he would transition from doctor to patient when he was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer.
In the final months of his life, Paul dedicated himself to writing this book, recording in sometimes uncomfortable detail the sorrow, pain, and beauty of how he faced his death with grace and integrity. We find out that Paul was also a very gifted writer, and that the same can be said for his wife Lucy, who in the epilogue beautifully picks up where Paul left off, offering a moving tribute to her husband's legacy.
There is a point in the book where Paul reflects on his spirituality, admitting that he once held to an "ironclad atheism," but had later "come back around to Christianity." (168). While this book is by no means a "Christian book," it is an extended reflection on the meaning of life, which was the occasion for Paul to leave his atheism. He reasons, "if you believe that science provides no basis for God, then you are almost obligated to conclude that science provides no basis for meaning and, therefore, life itself doesn't have any." (169). What is so profoundly explored in this book is not only that life does have meaning, but that death does too.