"Air is so vast, so invisible, so routine and so necessary. Over the average life span a human breathes about 650 million times. Breathing is involuntary, a natural reflex, and rarely given a second thought." "Gasp! makes air personal. Sherman begins as each of us began, with the first breath of a child, and then explores the physiological imperative of how air works in our bodies. Visiting a respiratory clinic, he compares his aerobic capacity to Lance Armstrong's. He goes on to recount the discovery and recognition of air and atmosphere in science and history, and continues by considering the place of air in mythology, philosophy, and religion."
"Once grounded in this wide anecdotal understanding, Sherman considers the present scientific and political dilemmas in which we find ourselves at the beginning of the 21st century. Industrial civilization has changed the protective membrane of our planet from a marvel filled with sylphs, the ghosts of dead babies, and strange particles from distant planets, into something menacing. Despite these worries, air for Sherman retains its invisible thrill. For after all, when we tweak air's chemistry ever so slightly, the result can change everything: health, climate, the very future of the planet whose air we take far too much for granted."--Jacket.
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