A book review of Breathless: Surgical Tales from the Brink (and back) by Tali Lando, M.D.
Stars: *****
Silver Linings Media (2025)
Memoirs>Medical
354 pages
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.
Summary: Heralded as “a testament to the precision, resilience, and compassion that define the very best of medicine,” Breathless is a powerful, unflinching, and deeply human exploration of life and death in the pediatric operating room.
Told from the unique perspective of a high-stakes pediatric airway surgeon, this gripping collection of true surgical stories by Dr. Tali Lando invites readers behind the doors of a modern trauma hospital to experience what it’s like to be responsible for the breath — and sometimes the very life — of a child.
Through 19 exquisitely rendered chapters, Dr. Lando shares unforgettable tales of tiny preemies, trauma victims, surgical miracles, and heartbreaking losses. Each case is recounted with unvarnished honesty, medical insight, and emotional depth — from an infant in respiratory crisis at a prison visitor center to a teenage boy who nearly suffocates after a biking accident. Meet the spunky little girl named Heaven who changed Dr. Lando’s life forever and explore the quiet sacrifices of a surgeon-mother navigating home life in the aftermath of trauma. The stories are as riveting as they are revelatory.
Breathless
I was eager to read this book as I first of all love medical memoirs but also have never read one from the point of view of this author which is a pediatric ENT that focuses on airway issues.
I wasn’t disappointed. This book I read fairly quickly and if I could have stayed awake and had nothing else to do I would have read it in one sitting/one day.
It’s very interesting. Although the author does regular ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) things like ear tubes and tonsil removal she shares the more intriguing stories. Children who can’t breathe without her intervention. Itty Bitty Babies from the NICU who need her help. The stories are breathtaking… literally.
The book is easy to read because the chapters are short and there are sometimes breaks in the chapters as well. This is nice because it keeps the stories moving and also allows you to read little bits at a time if you don’t have the ability to sit and read for hours.
If you have any interest in medical memoirs, ENT specialty or pediatrics in general this book is a great read. However even if you’ve never read a medical memoir you will enjoy it. It’s not too full of medical jargon or anything like that. It’s an accessible read.
Buy Breathless from amazon.com