book review breath by james nestor

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THE NEW SCIENCE OF A LOST ART

by James Nestor ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2020

A welcome, invigorating user’s manual for the respiratory system.

A science journalist takes a measured look at the way we breathe and finds it out of whack.

“No matter what we eat, how much we exercise, how resilient our genes are, how skinny or young or wise we are—none of it will matter unless we are breathing correctly.” So writes Nestor, who, having suffered breathing problems, followed a doctor’s suggestion to take a breathing class. What he found set him on a long chain of discovery into the realms of the most modern science and the most ancient wisdom, leading to this readable treatise on improving the way we breathe. A great many of us could stand to improve. By Nestor’s measure, about half of us are “habitual mouthbreathers,” which leads to all sorts of structural, physical, and medical consequences. Things should be happening in the nose instead, even if “for the past century, the prevailing belief in Western medicine was that the nose was more or less an ancillary organ.” The nose is key, for using it properly can clear up breathing obstructions and militate against the “dysevolution” caused over countless millennia by the lowering of the larynx to permit speech. Instead, notes the author, nose breathing widens the airways and makes breathing easier, with success building on success to clear up breathing problems such as the ones he’d been laboring under. In the way of an ancient master of prana—or chi, pneuma, atma, and many another spiritually resonant term—Nestor offers the lessons he learned from pulmonologists and “pulmonauts” alike. These include what he calls “the perfect breath”: breathing in deeply through the nose for 5.5 seconds and out for 5.5 seconds, which yields 5.5 breaths a minute. It’s free, he counsels happily, “and you can do it wherever you are, whenever you need.”

Pub Date: May 26, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-7352-1361-6

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Riverhead

Review Posted Online: April 20, 2020

HEALTH & FITNESS | SPORTS & RECREATION | SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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Kirkus Reviews' Best Books Of 2023

by Walter Isaacson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 12, 2023

Alternately admiring and critical, unvarnished, and a closely detailed account of a troubled innovator.

A warts-and-all portrait of the famed techno-entrepreneur—and the warts are nearly beyond counting.

To call Elon Musk (b. 1971) “mercurial” is to undervalue the term; to call him a genius is incorrect. Instead, Musk has a gift for leveraging the genius of others in order to make things work. When they don’t, writes eminent biographer Isaacson, it’s because the notoriously headstrong Musk is so sure of himself that he charges ahead against the advice of others: “He does not like to share power.” In this sharp-edged biography, the author likens Musk to an earlier biographical subject, Steve Jobs. Given Musk’s recent political turn, born of the me-first libertarianism of the very rich, however, Henry Ford also comes to mind. What emerges clearly is that Musk, who may or may not have Asperger’s syndrome (“Empathy did not come naturally”), has nurtured several obsessions for years, apart from a passion for the letter X as both a brand and personal name. He firmly believes that “all requirements should be treated as recommendations”; that it is his destiny to make humankind a multi-planetary civilization through innovations in space travel; that government is generally an impediment and that “the thought police are gaining power”; and that “a maniacal sense of urgency” should guide his businesses. That need for speed has led to undeniable successes in beating schedules and competitors, but it has also wrought disaster: One of the most telling anecdotes in the book concerns Musk’s “demon mode” order to relocate thousands of Twitter servers from Sacramento to Portland at breakneck speed, which trashed big parts of the system for months. To judge by Isaacson’s account, that may have been by design, for Musk’s idea of creative destruction seems to mean mostly chaos.

Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023

ISBN: 9781982181284

Page Count: 688

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023

More by Walter Isaacson

by Walter Isaacson with adapted by Sarah Durand

by Walter Isaacson

BOOK TO SCREEN

F*CK IT, I'LL START TOMORROW

by Action Bronson ; photographed by Bonnie Stephens ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 20, 2021

The lessons to draw are obvious: Smoke more dope, eat less meat. Like-minded readers will dig it.

The chef, rapper, and TV host serves up a blustery memoir with lashings of self-help.

“I’ve always had a sick confidence,” writes Bronson, ne Ariyan Arslani. The confidence, he adds, comes from numerous sources: being a New Yorker, and more specifically a New Yorker from Queens; being “short and fucking husky” and still game for a standoff on the basketball court; having strength, stamina, and seemingly no fear. All these things serve him well in the rough-and-tumble youth he describes, all stickball and steroids. Yet another confidence-builder: In the big city, you’ve got to sink or swim. “No one is just accepted—you have to fucking show that you’re able to roll,” he writes. In a narrative steeped in language that would make Lenny Bruce blush, Bronson recounts his sentimental education, schooled by immigrant Italian and Albanian family members and the mean streets, building habits good and bad. The virtue of those habits will depend on your take on modern mores. Bronson writes, for example, of “getting my dick pierced” down in the West Village, then grabbing a pizza and smoking weed. “I always smoke weed freely, always have and always will,” he writes. “I’ll just light a blunt anywhere.” Though he’s gone through the classic experiences of the latter-day stoner, flunking out and getting arrested numerous times, Bronson is a hard charger who’s not afraid to face nearly any challenge—especially, given his physique and genes, the necessity of losing weight: “If you’re husky, you’re always dieting in your mind,” he writes. Though vulgar and boastful, Bronson serves up a model that has plenty of good points, including his growing interest in nature, creativity, and the desire to “leave a legacy for everybody.”

Pub Date: April 20, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-4197-4478-5

Page Count: 184

Publisher: Abrams

Review Posted Online: May 5, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021

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James Nestor — Breath (Book Review)

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Aug 12, 2021 | LEARN: Chronic Illness | 0 comments

James Nestor combines scientific exploration and his own experiences in Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art . The two aspects keep the book from being entirely memoir or entirely an academic treatise. At its heart, Nestor asks why breath matters. We breathe automatically. But he explains there are many ways to breathe. It’s more complex than we realize.

Nestor talks about his own explorations into breath. For example, he pays to participate in a study at Stanford University about breath. For two weeks, he and a companion track their breath. The difference between the two weeks is simple. One week they breathe exclusively through their mouths. The other, through their noses.

Yes, they literally close off the other option depending on which week it is. The average reader isn’t going to take such drastic steps. But the results Nestor experiences are interesting, and can inform how we use our own breath.

Nestor also discusses a variety of breathing methods, including who started them and how they came to be. If you’ve ever attended a yoga class, some will be familiar to you. For example, Nestor discusses the experience and the science behind taking many breaths in a very short time. He does the same with methods that do the opposite—that extend the exhalation and even allow for hold time between breaths.

Although people (dare I say gurus?) have popularized certain methods, Nestor concludes by saying that most breathing methods are rooted in a spiritual practice. For example, monks in Tibet or yogis in India famously developed breathing practices. But scientists continue to be fascinated, and when it’s available, Nestor discusses scientific studies about breathing.

My conclusions

Nestor takes a fairly complex subject and breaks it down into manageable sections of information. He discusses the necessary physiology of lungs and nervous system, but doesn’t dive terribly deep. It’s just enough for someone without medical background to understand, without being too much to wade through.

On the other hand, plenty of reviewers have rightly commented on how light Nestor is on the actual science behind these breathing methods. Breath and breathing don’t merit many peer-reviewed studies, I suppose. Taking that grain of salt into account, I still felt this book was valuable.

Breath is generally very readable. However, I also put it down for a couple of weeks in the middle of reading. It wasn’t so incredibly compelling that I flew through it. I needed the right mindset to absorb the ideas.

And for me, this book is personal. My physical therapist recommended Breath to me because of work we’re doing together. Breathwork fascinates me, and keeps popping up in discussions with friends and massage clients. It’s on the radar around the world because COVID-19 survivors often have lung damage. So, you may find it uniquely relevant to your life, as I did.

I recommend this for science readers comfortable allowing a small bit of the mystical into their viewfinder. It’s also appropriate for readers looking for new (but ancient) ways to relax in today’s stressful world.

Pair with Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness by Rick Hanson, Ph.D. for another science-adjacent book with ties to our nervous system. Or do what I’m doing and pair with this (upcoming) book: Breathing Lessons: A Doctor’s Guide to Lung Health by MeiLan K. Han, MD.

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