When Breath Becomes air, by Paul Kalanithi

Talking about death or dying are avoided on the account of being sad topics. Or perhaps we avoid it because we don't know much about it. I wonder if we thought and spoke about it more openly, pragmatically it would lead us to live a happier, more meaningful life.
In “When Breath Becomes Air” Paul Kalanithi attempts to find the meaning of life through understanding death. I like to think he would have written this book, much later in his life. That's what he talks about in his opening chapter. That pursuit of meaning of life and learning about death was his life quest, that he thought studying literature was where he finds the answer but then he realized being a doctor may lead to a better understanding of life and death. His story is sprinkled with irony, as he writes about his life as a doctor and as a patient. He doesn't approve of using stats as a doctor to tell patients something like, "you have six more months to live."; yet he is curious about the number of months left of his own life when talking to his oncologist. 
So, did I learn more about death after I turned the last page of this book, I certainly did not. But, what this book taught me was it's good to stay curious about it, even in perfect health.