Like so many people in the post 9/11 United States,
writer Kevin Hazzard was confronted with the fact that he felt there was
something missing in his life. Seeking to fill the void and contribute
something to society, Hazzard left his gig as a newspaper reporter and sought a
role as a first responder first seeking his emergency medical technician (EMT) certification
and later as a paramedic.
Most first responders tend to be a different breed of
cat; anyone who runs toward the danger rather than away from it would have to
be. In his memoir about his time as an ambulance jockey, A Thousand Naked Strangers, Hazzard will force you ponder that the
folks who answer the bell and respond to life and death emergencies do so after
only a hand full of weeks of training. There is something deeply profound to be
found when you think about the rag tag band of misfit toys that Hazzard was a
part of answering that call.
Hazzard serves up his tales with an economical style,
that is long on humor and chock full of the characters he confronted on a daily
basis during his time on the frontlines of first response. Hazzard delivers not
only the dark humor that is part and parcel of dealing with what EMTs are
confronted with on a daily basis, but also delves into the self-doubt, the fear
and adrenaline rush that comes with dealing with folks when they are often at
their worst moments.
While the details Hazzard presents over a series of
short essays, that he pieces together skillfully, often focus on the details of
the various calls, it is his descriptive tales of the characters, the homeless
man who sluices the blood and other bodily juices out of the back of the
ambulance, cleaning up after a particularly messy ride or the folks on the receiving
end of his care that are his bread and butter as a writer. Descriptive,
detailed and often laugh out loud funny, A
Thousand Naked Strangers rings with a real authenticity.
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