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Sunshine: An Exploration of Living When You Are Dying
Not yet published
Expected 10 Nov 26“A powerful, moving memoir. I learned so much, not only about illness and caregiving, but finding resilience, joy, and even humor, in some of the hardest moments we all must face.”—Daniel Mason, author of North Woods
With remarkable insight and vulnerability, a leading researcher and cancer advocate distills the lessons for living that he's learned as a doctor and as a patient, after being diagnosed with his own terminal illness—based on his enormously popular Stanford class.
Over the course of his twenty-year career, Dr. Bryant Lin treated many patients with lung cancer. He never smoked, and never imagined that he would be diagnosed with the same terrible disease. After cycling through the stages of grief and two rounds of chemo, he realized that his diagnosis presented an opportunity to learn. For the first time, he experienced the cancer diagnosis and the complexities of treatment as a patient, rather than a doctor.
Determined to give back and to keep teaching, Dr. Lin created a course at Stanford Medical School called From Diagnosis to A Doctor’s Real-Time Battle with Cancer, to share his experience with a terminal illness as both a doctor and a patient. The class was a sensation on campus and soon attracted international media attention.
Now, Dr. Lin brings us into the classroom to offer us an inspiring exploration of how to live when you are dying. How can we prepare for intimidating medical news and navigate treatment? How can we find hope in the face of terminal diagnosis? In Sunshine, Dr. Lin offers both philosophical and scientifically grounded insights into how we can make the most out of life even in the most challenging moments.
With remarkable insight and vulnerability, a leading researcher and cancer advocate distills the lessons for living that he's learned as a doctor and as a patient, after being diagnosed with his own terminal illness—based on his enormously popular Stanford class.
Over the course of his twenty-year career, Dr. Bryant Lin treated many patients with lung cancer. He never smoked, and never imagined that he would be diagnosed with the same terrible disease. After cycling through the stages of grief and two rounds of chemo, he realized that his diagnosis presented an opportunity to learn. For the first time, he experienced the cancer diagnosis and the complexities of treatment as a patient, rather than a doctor.
Determined to give back and to keep teaching, Dr. Lin created a course at Stanford Medical School called From Diagnosis to A Doctor’s Real-Time Battle with Cancer, to share his experience with a terminal illness as both a doctor and a patient. The class was a sensation on campus and soon attracted international media attention.
Now, Dr. Lin brings us into the classroom to offer us an inspiring exploration of how to live when you are dying. How can we prepare for intimidating medical news and navigate treatment? How can we find hope in the face of terminal diagnosis? In Sunshine, Dr. Lin offers both philosophical and scientifically grounded insights into how we can make the most out of life even in the most challenging moments.
288 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication November 10, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 11, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for an advance copy of this book.
4/5 stars
Plot: Non-fiction following a doctors diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer, his treatment, and a course he taught at Stanford outlining care of those with cancer based on his own experience.
Impression: I felt like this book alternated between being very science/research heavy and more personal anecdotes but it wasn’t always a smooth transition. Otherwise, this was a beautiful reflection on Dr Lin’s life, career, and family. I appreciated the wide variety of topics the course he developed addressed and the panel of experts he used. I imagine he is an excellent teacher!
4/5 stars
Plot: Non-fiction following a doctors diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer, his treatment, and a course he taught at Stanford outlining care of those with cancer based on his own experience.
Impression: I felt like this book alternated between being very science/research heavy and more personal anecdotes but it wasn’t always a smooth transition. Otherwise, this was a beautiful reflection on Dr Lin’s life, career, and family. I appreciated the wide variety of topics the course he developed addressed and the panel of experts he used. I imagine he is an excellent teacher!
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Excellent rad - highly recommend
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews