Michael J. Stephen

An expert in pulmonary medicine shares a wide-ranging exploration of the human lung: the organ that explains our origins and holds the keys to our future.

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 pulmonologist Michael Stephen. And yet, we too often take our lungs for granted.

In Breath Taking, Stephen sheds much-needed light on our extraordinary lungs. 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. Stephen interweaves his narrative with scientific history, such as the development of the lung transplant, and poignant human stories, including his own frantic attempts to engage his son's lungs at birth.

Despite great advances in science, our lungs are ever more threatened. Asthma is on the rise, increasing anxiety leaves us vulnerable to disease, and COVID-19 has revealed that vulnerability in historic ways. Breath Taking offers inspiration and hope, inspiration, and vital perspective to us all.

Atlantic Monthly Press

Breath Taking: The Power, Fragility, and Future of Our Extraordinary Lungs

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