When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

"There we were, doctor and patient, in a relationship that sometimes carries a magisterial air 
and other times, like now, was no more, and no less, than two people huddled together, as one faces the abyss.  

Doctors, it turns out, need hope, too."


When Breath Becomes Air is the profound memoir of Paul Kalanithi, a young neurosurgeon who is diagnosed with terminal cancer.  Paul has based his life and his career as a neurosurgeon on being present with patients and their families as they are diagnosed with the unthinkable and guiding them on the path they find themselves on following.  In When Breath Becomes Air, we see the transformation that occurs as Paul is diagnosed with cancer and creates his own path as the life he has planned for disappears from reach.
 




The first half of the memoir focuses on his time as a young man choosing his path in life.  We learn early on that he has a love of literature.  As a student at Stanford, Paul Kalanithi wrote his thesis on Walt Whitman.  Whitman, like Paul was interested in understanding "the physiological-spiritual man."  The answers he finds in literature are not enough.  He needs more.  It is then that he sits down with an advisor and finds his true passion.  He decides to pursue medicine, specifically neurosurgery.  He is engaged and fascinated by the brain and again the question he originally sought in literature surfaces, "what makes life meaningful, even in the face of death and decay?"  It is evident immediately that Paul has a true calling, his heart and soul are invested in perfecting his craft.  




And then life halts.  At the healm of his career, Paul is diagnosed with cancer.  His wife, family and doctor serve as rock solid support as he navigates a life that swiftly changes direction.  Paul describes the process of transforming from doctor to patient.  Through Paul's own experience facing death and those of the stories he tells of patients, we see a man who is not afraid of living nor of the inevitable, death.
 




As doctor and patient, Paul saw cancer from every perspective.  Never have I experienced writing in which the narrator so eloquently writes about facing death as life swirls around him and does so with such vigor for living.

This one is a must read.  Paul's perseverance in the midst of everything is inspiring.

The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna

 “If you want to live the fullness of your life—if you want to be free—you must understand, first, why you are not free, what keeps you from being free. ” 

The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion stemmed from an honest essay Elle Luna published April 8, 2014 describing her personal journey navigating her own crossroads of Should and Must.  

In it, Elle Luna states:

"Should is how other people want us to live our lives.  It's all of the expectations that others layer upon us.  Sometimes, Shoulds are small, seemingly innocuous, and easily accommodates.  "You should listen to that song," for example.  At other times, Shoulds are highly influential systems of thought that pressure and, at their most destructive, coerce us to live our lives differently."

"When we choose Should, we're choosing to live our life for someone or something other than ourselves."

"Must is different.  Must is who we are, what we believe, and what we do when we are alone with our truest, most authentic self.  It's that which calls to us most deeply.  It's our convictions, our passions, our deepest held urges and desires - unavoidable, undeniable, and inexplicable.  Unlike Should, Must doesn't accept compromises."

"Choosing Must is the greatest thing we can do with our lives."

Elle Luna describes ways in which we can all identify our true passions through self-reflection.  

She also goes on to distinguish between a job ("something typically done from 9 to 5 for pay"), a career ("a system of advancements and promotions over time where rewards are used to optimize behavior"), and a calling ("something that we feel compelled to do regardless of fame or fortune").  

She recalls the momentous time in her own life when she realized which she had as a young professional working at a fast paced startup.  She notes that she was challenged, but not fulfilled.  She goes on to explain her slow transition from one to another and her ultimate leap of faith in chasing her calling above all else.

Lastly, Luna recalls with detail the Fear that exists when we decide to take a leap of faith and follow the path of Must rather than a life of Should.  She vividly illustrates her own experience and how she overcame her own uncertainties in order to live the life she dreamed of.

Everyday we decide how we want to live.  We can continue to live as we are, or we can decide to take a new path - a path that may be frightening and unknown but has the potential to lead to a much more fulfilling destination.  

With Elle Luna's words, those who choose their Must quickly see they are not alone.  
In fact, they are in very good company.   

The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith

“all of us had a view from somewhere, a view of the world from

the perspective of who we were, of what had happened to us,

of how we thought about things.”  

The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon is the 14th book in a popular series called The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.  For those of you who are familiar, welcome back.  And for those of you hearing of this series for the first time, grab a chair as I introduce you to Precious Ramotswe and her associate detective, Mma Makutsi - two marvelous women with a knack for uncovering the truth.

This particular novel takes on two puzzling cases.  First, Mma Ramotswe is approached by the lawyer Mma Sheba, the executor of a late farmer's estate.  The farmer has left the majority of his land to a nephew, but Mma Sheba believes that the young man claiming to be the nephew is not who he appears.  Her second case is a call for help from the owner of a new salon, The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon.  The owner has been the victim of threats and a horrible bit of gossip intended to ruin her salon.  Mma Ramotswe agrees to investigate both, and as always finds the truth to be much more complicated than she had ever bargained for.       

Meanwhile, at the office, Mma Makutsi has been a little different lately.  Mma Ramotswe is certain that she is pregnant, but Mma Makutsi has been silent on the matter.  It is clear throughout that the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency would not be the same without the two women solving cases together.  They are more than co-workers.  They really are the best of friends and this friendship truly shines in this novel.  

Each and every time I step into the world of Precious Ramotswe, I smile as I check in on (what feel like) old friends.  This series can best be described as the coziest of cozy and the characters astound you with their honest interactions.  If you are looking for a mystery with a dose of female friendship thrown in, you have a winner!