Hi!
As a librarian I got an advance digital copy of the following book that looks really interesting. I haven't started reading this yet; depending on the author and how the subject is treated it could be interesting, deadly wonky and boring, or somewhere in between. The author has credibility. I thought I would pass this along!
Breath Taking: The Power, Fragility, and Future of Our Extraordinary Lungs
Michael J. Stephen
FRONTLIST | January 19, 2021
On Sale Date: January 5, 2021
9780802149312, 0802149316
Hardcover
$26.00 USD, $33.99 CAD, £18.99 GBP, €22.99 EUR
From an expert in pulmonary medicine, the story of our extraordinary lungs, the organ that both explains our origins and holds the keys to our future as a species
We take an average of 7.5 million breaths a year and some 600 million in our lifetime, and what goes on in our body each time oxygen is taken in and carbon dioxide expelled is nothing short of miraculous. “Our lungs are the lynchpin between our bodies and the outside world,” writes Dr. Michael Stephen. And yet, we take our lungs for granted until we’re incapacitated and suddenly confronted with their vital importance.
In Breath Taking, pulmonologist Michael Stephen takes us on a journey to shed original and much-needed light on our neglected and extraordinary lungs, at a most critical societal moment. He relates the history of oxygen on Earth and the evolutionary origins of breathing, and explores the healing power of breath and its spiritual potential. He explains in lay terms the links our lungs have with our immune system and with society at large. And he offers illuminating chronicles of pulmonary research and discovery—from Galen in the ancient world to pioneers of lung transplant—and poignant human stories of resilience and recovery—from the frantic attempts to engage his own son’s lungs at birth to patients he treats for cystic fibrosis today.
Despite great advances in science, our lungs are ever more threatened. Asthma is more prevalent than ever; rising stress levels make our lungs vulnerable to disease; and COVID-19 has revealed that vulnerability in historic ways. In this time, Breath Taking offers inspiration and hope to millions whose lungs are affected and vital perspective to us all.
Contributor Bio(s)
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Dr. Michael J. Stephen is an associate professor at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center. He is a leader of numerous clinical trials and was on the front line caring for COVID-19 patients. Over the past two decades he has studied advanced end-stage lung diseases and worked with patients at diverse locales, including a Massachusetts prison hospital and a pediatric HIV clinic in Cape Town, South Africa. A graduate of Brown University and Boston University Medical School, he lives in New Jersey.
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Key Selling Points
- Breath Taking is a vivid, original narrative journey into our most vital, and yet most under-appreciated, organ—our lungs—at a time when COVID-19 has made them more vulnerable and visible than ever before.
- Combining human stories from Dr. Michael Stephen’s medical practice and those from medical and scientific history, written in clear and appealing prose, Breath Taking will appeal to readers of writer-physicians like Siddhartha Mukherjee and Atul Gawande.
- Dr. Stephen is an academic, researcher, and clinician in pulmonary medicine. He is an associate professor at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center, one of approximately one hundred specialized accredited centers in the country. Eloquent and charismatic, he is a perfect candidate to write op-eds upon publication and to do television and radio spots.
- Breath Taking will appeal to readers of Mary Roach’s popular and accessible books on the body, such as Gulp, which has sold almost 120,000 copies in all formats, and Giulia Enders’s Gut, which has sold over 80,000 copies.
- We breathe from the moment we emerge from the womb to the second we die—on average some 600 million times in a lifetime—and yet compared to other organs, we don’t think about our lungs until we’re forced to. Even the lungs of healthy people are constantly threatened by lifestyle and environmental factors, and by international medical emergencies like COVID-19. Breath Taking contains updated material reflecting on the global pandemic from the perspective of a pulmonary specialist who has been on the front lines caring for COVID-19 patients.
- Breath Taking offers inspiration on several levels. Understanding the miracle the lungs provide every minute will enhance our appreciation of them—you’ll never take another breath without awareness of the extraordinary activity going on inside your body with every inhale and exhale. On another level, understanding the impact that various diseases have on the lungs—eloquently presented by Dr. Stephen—makes us more aware of the causes and the potential for prevention.
- The many fascinating aspects of the book include the history of oxygen on Earth; why birds’ lungs are more efficient than those of humans; how lung transplants—the most difficult by far—were finally achieved; and the chance discovery that led to treatment for tuberculosis.