Publishers Weekly praised the book, comparing parts of it to the poetry of
John Ashbery and
Thomas Lux and writing, "Berman's debut [announces] the discovery of great American poetic storytelling by a new generation." In his review for
Spin,
Joshua Clover praised the book, writing, "his instrument is his own; very few of the poems fail to find a finger of mystery, a ring of familiarity. All of which makes for a rarity in contemporary poetry: It's what book clubs call "readable."" David Kirby of
The New York Times likened the "whimsy" of
Actual Air to the works of poets
Mark Halliday and
Campbell McGrath, but felt "In their poems, though, whimsy always leads to serious ideas and emotions that don't consistently materialize here." However, Kirby concluded his review calling the book "funny, smart, on-again, off-again poetry of great promise." Writing for
Boston Review, poet
Ethan A. Paquin called Berman a "master collector of American miscellany" and praising Berman's ability "to examine the pathos underpinning banal scenery and situations [...] with eyes trained on beauty and transcendence," producing "a lush and poignant portrait of "the view from falling behind."" The book received praise from poets
James Tate and
Billy Collins. ==Legacy==