{"product_id":"a-thousand-naked-strangers-a-paramedics-wild-ride-to-the-edge-and-back-9781501110863","title":"A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic's Wild Ride to the Edge and Back","description":"\u003cb\u003eA former paramedic's \"thrilling, captivating\" (\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e), and mordantly funny account of a decade spent as a first responder in Atlanta saving lives and connecting with the drama and occasional beauty that lies inside catastrophe.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the aftermath of 9\/11 Kevin Hazzard felt that something was missing from his life--his days were too safe, too routine. A failed salesman turned local reporter, he wanted to test himself, see how he might respond to pressure and danger. He signed up for emergency medical training and became, at age twenty-six, a newly minted EMT running calls in the worst sections of Atlanta. His life entered a different realm--one of blood, violence, and amazing grace. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Thoroughly intimidated at first and frequently terrified, he experienced on a nightly basis the adrenaline rush of walking into chaos. But in his downtime, Kevin reflected on how people's facades drop away when catastrophe strikes. As his hours on the job piled up, he realized he was beginning to see into the truth of things. There is no pretense five beats into a chest compression, or in an alley next to a crack den, or on a dimly lit highway where cars have collided. Eventually, what had at first seemed impossible happened: Kevin acquired mastery. And in the process he was able to discern the professional differences between his freewheeling peers, what marked each--as he termed them--as \"a tourist,\" \"true believer,\" or \"killer.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Combining indelible scenes that remind us of life's fragile beauty with laugh-out-loud moments that keep us smiling through the worst, \u003ci\u003eA Thousand Naked Strangers \u003c\/i\u003eis an absorbing read about one man's journey of self-discovery--a trip that also teaches us about ourselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHazzard, Kevin:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Kevin Hazzard worked as a paramedic from 2004 to 2013, primarily at Grady Hospital in Atlanta. His freelance journalism has appeared in \u003ci\u003eAtlanta Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMarietta Daily Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCreative Loafing\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003ePaste\u003c\/i\u003e. He is the author of a novel, \u003ci\u003eSleeping Dogs\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eA Thousand Naked Strangers\u003c\/i\u003e. He and his family live in Hermosa Beach, California.","brand":"Scribner Book Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50615128588562,"sku":"9781501110863","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_af33905c-4637-4656-b451-715942aecb5f.jpg?v=1732475834","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/a-thousand-naked-strangers-a-paramedics-wild-ride-to-the-edge-and-back-9781501110863","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}