Book cover of A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic's Wild Ride to the Edge and Back

Book description

A former paramedic’s visceral, poignant, and mordantly funny account of a decade spent on Atlanta’s mean streets saving lives and connecting with the drama and occasional beauty that lies inside catastrophe.

In the aftermath of 9/11 Kevin Hazzard felt that something was missing from his life—his days were too safe,…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked A Thousand Naked Strangers as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

A Thousand Naked Strangers is the definitive book about life on an ambulance. I’ve never read another book about this or any other topic for that matter, which made me think, “Yes! Exactly, you get me!” When anyone asks me—and they never do—what is it really like working on an ambulance? this is the book I point to.

Not only is A Thousand Naked Strangers full of great stories from the author’s time on the bus, but Kevin Hazzard, is also a journalist and it shows. This book is fast-paced, funny, and authentic.

When people credit doctors for “saving a life” in an emergency, they sometimes overlook the role that EMTs, or paramedics, play in that great save. After Kevin Hazzard’s book, you’ll realize just how important they are to the healthcare equation. His book is the first I had ever read that was written by a paramedic, and his account is both refreshing and disturbing. He is insanely skilled at describing the details. And, along with the best of the medical nonfiction genre, he artfully blends what is most meaningful, terrifying, and humorous about the profession. It’s a fun one.

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December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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