Heartbreaking memoir by dying neurosurgeon continues to soar on the bestseller charts

Updated
Paul Kalanithi: A Neurosurgeon's Memoirs
Paul Kalanithi: A Neurosurgeon's Memoirs

Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer at the age of 36 just before completing a decade of training as a neurosurgeon.

In his heartbreaking and posthumous memoir, "When Breath Becomes Air", Kalanithi explores the big questions surrounding how the prospect of death can impact what makes life worth living.

As the Times' review explains, Kalanithi offers a "gripping" look into the life of a doctor treating patients one day and being one the next:

I guarantee that finishing this book and then forgetting about it is simply not an option. There is so much here that lingers, and not just about matters of life and death.

The book made its debut on The New York Times Best Seller list for the week of January 31, 2016, and has since spent 12 weeks at the top of the charts.

Also this week a few new releases have shot up to the top of the nonfiction list while some heavy hitters continue to fly off the shelves.

"Between the World and Me," a book by author Ta-Nehisi Coates which a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son remains in the top ten on the bestsellers list this week.

While the gut wrenching tale in "Miracles from Heaven: A Little Girl and Her Amazing Story of Healing" which offers the true story of "one little girl, her journey to heaven, and an amazing story of healing," remains high on the list in its fourth week.

Click through the nonfiction New York Times Best Sellers list below:

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