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46th out of 71 books
—
46 voters
En Route: A Paramedic's Stories of Life, Death, and Everything in Between
Stephen "Kelly" Grayson has seen the best of us at our worst. When hearts stop working, when blood alcohol levels exceed limits we shouldn't contemplate, when bodies are extricated from car wrecks, he's been there to pick up the pieces, save our lives, and watch us slip away. His touching stories of life and death and the hilarious ones of times in between are here to give...more
Hardcover, 312 pages
Published
March 3rd 2009
by Kaplan Publishing
(first published 2005)
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A lot of the stories Kelly tells are also on his blog (or at least the same types of stories), and he is a wonderful story-teller in person, as I've had the pleasure of discovering this past year, so I was fairly confident I would enjoy this book...I was completely correct, and am so happy I finally got the chance to read it.
This book is not for the faint of heart when it comes to depictions of life-and-death situations, nor should you read it if you don't have a sense of humor about illness.
Thr...more
This book is not for the faint of heart when it comes to depictions of life-and-death situations, nor should you read it if you don't have a sense of humor about illness.
Thr...more
I was mostly interested in this book because I used to be an EMT. If that's also your perspective, you will enjoy it, as long as you don't try to think of it as a larger story. Just appreciate it as a big list of some guy's war stories. I really enjoyed it- every chapter had me laughing or cringing or thinking "Oh man, so true!" or "I hate it when that happens." If you have some connection to emergency medicine, consider this a 5 star book for amusement alone. But for everyone else, I'd have to...more
It was really really good! It's different from what I normally read but it was better than I expected. The book is a true story. It has to do with Kelly Grayson and his life as a Paramedic. Each chapter was a different story of someone dying, involved in a wreak and so many more, my favorite part about each chapter is the titles - each title was funny and a few didn't make sense at first but once you read the chapter, you'll get it. It was based in Louisiana which is where I'm living at right no...more
It's been a little over a year since I've read this book, but it still pops into my mind sometimes. It's been a long time since I've read a book where I went from laughing hysterically in one chapter, and crying in the next. Don't take that to mean this is a horribly chaotic book - It's not. It's a collection of different stories, one per chapter, and yet still forms a cohesive long-term story.
As a Paramedic, I'm able to relate to many of the stories in this book (good and bad.) It was easy to p...more
As a Paramedic, I'm able to relate to many of the stories in this book (good and bad.) It was easy to p...more
Life, death, and everything in-between. This is a collection of experiences from the perspective of a kick-ass paramedic who is also a very good author. The author is obviously dedicated, often jaded, but always full of compassion for those who depend on him.
I read the blog way before the book came out, and although I got this book for free as an Amazon Kindle book, I would have gladly paid money to read this.
Reading this gives you the idea that being a paramedic is not glamorous at all. But it...more
I read the blog way before the book came out, and although I got this book for free as an Amazon Kindle book, I would have gladly paid money to read this.
Reading this gives you the idea that being a paramedic is not glamorous at all. But it...more
Feb 17, 2013
Stephanie
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
medical,
nonfiction
A free Kindle book.
It was a little disjointed (as others have said, it's better to read it as a collection of stories, rather than as having an overarching narrative about his life), but overall enjoyable. He's a bit crass and misogynistic, but overall has a good sense of humor and is a pretty decent writer. A quick, interesting read.
It was a little disjointed (as others have said, it's better to read it as a collection of stories, rather than as having an overarching narrative about his life), but overall enjoyable. He's a bit crass and misogynistic, but overall has a good sense of humor and is a pretty decent writer. A quick, interesting read.
Entertaining stories but the book has an identity crisis.
The first responder stories that are told in this book are very entertaining, however there is little connection between them. The author works with different partners, changes jobs many times, meets a woman, gets married, gets divorced, etc. These are all mentioned as side notes within each story but there is no background explanation by the author as to how those events came to be. I feel like this book is stuck somewhere between an auto...more
The first responder stories that are told in this book are very entertaining, however there is little connection between them. The author works with different partners, changes jobs many times, meets a woman, gets married, gets divorced, etc. These are all mentioned as side notes within each story but there is no background explanation by the author as to how those events came to be. I feel like this book is stuck somewhere between an auto...more
This was good, but a couple of things kept it from being great. One, Grayson would use medical terms and not explain them or talk about using a piece of equipment and not say what is does. This was more irritating than anything, but I think I would have gotten more out of it if I understood better what was going on. Two, there was nothing to tie all of the stories together into one cohesive unit. I couldn't tell chronology at all. Personal details, like who he was working with or what company, h...more
Responding to 911 calls, paramedics deal with things from heart attacks, potentially fatal wounds in victims of violent crimes, to people trapped in cars after an accident. They have to keep their heads in some gruesome situations, and to keep their humor in check during some hilarious situations. This one paramedic shares what he went through not just with the people he helped save, or sadly had to watch slip away, but also with the doctors and nurses he sometimes had to work with.
There are som...more
There are som...more
Again, another case where we need to have half stars. I have tremendous respect for anyone who runs into a situation where sane, rational human beings shouldn't go. My stepfather is a volunteer firefighter so I know quite well what it is entailed. I liked the fact that this book detailed some of the issues that paramedics and EMTs face daily. There was kind of a disconnect between the work stories and the personal stories though. I wish it had either concentrated on all of the work stuff or all...more
First, let me say I'd recommend this book to any one interested in EMT services or medical related suspense stories. That being said, there are a few negative aspects I'd like to point out. First, the book is written by a typical male paramedic. Therefore, it reads like it was written by a typical male paramedic. There is a lot of curse words which I feel are unnecessary. A lot of the book is written in broken, fragmented stories that sometimes feel left incomplete. However, it is a good book in...more
This book was good, but not great. It's available for free on the Kindle right now, which is how I heard of it. It's a pretty quick read, but many other readers here have it right: there is a disconnect between a lot of the stories.
The medical aspects of the book are really interesting, but the personal aspects are only so-so. There isn't enough information given about many scenarios, but there are casual mentions of relationships/weddings/etc. etc.
The final chapter of the book is, without a dou...more
The medical aspects of the book are really interesting, but the personal aspects are only so-so. There isn't enough information given about many scenarios, but there are casual mentions of relationships/weddings/etc. etc.
The final chapter of the book is, without a dou...more
Cool book! As one who knows, and has worked a truck, where these fictional towns that are portrayed in the book are, I could easily envision the stories written. Kelly offers an easy, light read that provides a window into our world. I have read some reviews about a high level of ego, but hey, you don't last in this job without a certain higher level of ego than the normal populace. All in all this was an enjoyable book and I recommend it. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars, is that I pref...more
I really enjoyed this book. I found myself laughing out loud at times at his sense of humor, at recognizing the familiarity of the situation/people and a sense of appreciation for all paramedics do. It made me miss and not miss the politics of medicine. It made me remember some of my most humorous and touching medical experiences. It was a book I enjoyed very much. For those of you without a medical background, you may find it fascinating and at times gruesome. But you will come away hoping that...more
I finished another paramedic book earlier today, and waffled between reading this one ot taking a break. Very glad I decided to keep with the theme. Grayson definitely has a knack for writing, as his descriptions made it feel like I was right there, riding along with him through northern Louisiana. While probably taken from his entire 10 year career (to that point, there were no indications he had ceased being a paramedic), Grayson wove the tales together quite well, so that it almost seemed to...more
free kindle.
i wish the title was 'i am a paramedic and i am WOnDERFUL' then perhaps i wouldnt have been as disgusted with his egotism.
and after reading it i 'get' that it doesnt follow any timeline-just wish i would have known that going into it. i didnt read any reviews here first(goes to show u to read goodreads reviews FIRST!) he goes from being a greenhorn to TEACHING in the very next chapter and of cOURSE he knows more than the physicians or other medical personnel.
eh..
glad it was free
i wish the title was 'i am a paramedic and i am WOnDERFUL' then perhaps i wouldnt have been as disgusted with his egotism.
and after reading it i 'get' that it doesnt follow any timeline-just wish i would have known that going into it. i didnt read any reviews here first(goes to show u to read goodreads reviews FIRST!) he goes from being a greenhorn to TEACHING in the very next chapter and of cOURSE he knows more than the physicians or other medical personnel.
eh..
glad it was free
I actually really liked this, but I do agree with one of the other reviewers who said that this book has somewhat of an identity crisis. There were times when it jumped around in time and place, which was confusing to begin with. Once I decided to treat each chapter as a short, stand-alone, narrative, it was much better.
I was easily able to picture the scenes Grayson was writing about. None of the dialogue felt stilted or threw me out of the story. All in all, well done.
I was easily able to picture the scenes Grayson was writing about. None of the dialogue felt stilted or threw me out of the story. All in all, well done.
This guy is a great storyteller, and if you read this as a collection of those stories, you'll be quite happy. I was hoping for a little more, though... there were hints of threads of story arcs through the whole book that were left hanging or too sketchy to be considered resolved, and time details were totally out the window. Remember James Herriot's books about being a veterinarian out in the English countryside? That's what I wanted this book to be... close but not quite.
I enjoyed these essays, though by the end of the book I didn't like Grayson very well. He struck me as arrogant, egotistical and condescending. However, he is clearly a good paramedic. The patients he described and his experiences were compelling and well written. I would have liked more in-depth reflection, more personal experience. The pieces sometimes felt disjointed in time and I wasn't sure who the secondary players were.
Feb 14, 2011
Jane
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
adults (humor + dire/gruesome situations), EMS people
Shelves:
memoir
Decently good read. Author is occasionally a royal jerk, but gets over it towards the end. Worthwhile fluff, and likely more interesting for those with experience and/or vested interest in the EMS field. I enjoyed it, but if I'd had brain space for something more complex, I probably would have stopped reading this about 2/3s of the way through.
Short chapters detailing Kelly Grayson's experiences as an EMT-Basic and then as a paramedic. Little glimpses into people's lives, this book is highly entertaining. You learn a lot about the author as well as some of the fun and crazy weirdos he meets up with while working in southern Louisiana. A must-read for anyone in the EMS.
I enjoyed this collection of stories from a Louisiana paramedic. However, I did want a bit more context to the stories. If he had tied all the stories together into a story of his life it would have been better. Characters and locations pop up and disappear with no explanation of who or where they are. Still an entertaining read, though.
Of course I loved this book. It was a one day read for me. I laughed all day and cried all night. It was also a great "fix" while I wait to take my NR skills tests.
This is a must read for anyone interested in EMS. I will be highly recommending it to all of my nurse friends who had a million questions while I was in school.
This is a must read for anyone interested in EMS. I will be highly recommending it to all of my nurse friends who had a million questions while I was in school.
Jan 12, 2011
Hilary
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
bio-memoir
The stories seemed to jump around a lot, but once I realized this book is a collection of vignettes rather than a more comprehensive autobiography (of sorts) it made more sense. Some of the stories were very touching, others horrifying (*always* wear a seatbelt) and others edging toward the ridiculous. Through it all, though, Kelly managed a sense of perspective and humor... at least for the most part.
I read 165 pages and decided that I read enough of the author's life as a paramedic and didn't need to read the rest. The stories were great at first, but unfortunately I lost interest since there didn't seem to be any ongoing story that might have kept my attention.
First book that I read from the iTunes store. It was free but it was entertaining. In spite of all the references to medical paraphenalia and procedures that I didn't know, Grayson made the stories human, interesting, and entertaining.
I thought this book was really a good comedy read. It is interesting to know what paramedics go through in their early years of work. And what they deal with in their line of work.
I got this book free for my Kindle and read it because I wanted something short to read after reading "Outlander." I really enjoyed this book, but I like most medical type things.
Inside look at a paramedic's work from the routine to the off-the-wall, including the inevitable office politics, dealing with doctors and hospitals, and the many "frequent fliers". Some of the stories were laugh-out-loud funny, and others sadly tragic.
Absolutely loved it! Great stories and funny as all get out. The only gripe I have about this book is that the stories didn't always go in order which would have helped a lot in some of the stuff but it really doesn't detract from the book. Highly recommend!
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