Customer Reviews

In the Arms of a Stranger: Stories from the Streets: My Life as a Paramedic

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was simply a collection of stories and memoirs from my career - put into book form to give my children something to know about their father. Never intended for wide readership, it is nonetheless listed through the publisher. While somewhat unrefined, if you choose to read please understand that EMS is a harsh business, what is defined as excitement early in a career oftens fades and is replaced by more of a deep caring for the individuals that we serve. "Blood and guts" never was and never will be my thing. This is not action packed and thrilling. I apologize to those who have found only disappointment with it's purchase. I do not market this book. I do not claim it to be a prize of literary worth. But if you choose to read please read between the lines and understand that we in EMS are in the service of our fellow man. For those in the business, learn to "see" more than injuries and pain. I still believe and always will, that we rarely save many lives, but we impact countless people everyday by our actions and care. If I have learned anything in my career to pass on it is simply this "Learn to love those you serve." Period.

Thank you, Dale J Bingham PA-C, MPAS, BS, NREMTP

I've read just about every book written (that I can find) about paramedics, emergency rooms, and the like. Some are much better than others. This one is very short, but I really enjoyed it. It seems a bit more honest than most. Bingham doesn't try to paint himself as a hero; he simply reports on what he experienced and how he felt about it. I would rate it right up there with Peter Canning's books.

While this book by Mr Bingham is not destined for the pulitzer prize anytime soon, it is filled with some marvelous pearls, more related to life in general and not simply paramedicine. Having over 20 years in EMS myself I think Mr Bingham has the inside track, though the publisher could definitely use some "editorial" corrections.
Younger medics may not get it, but there is something more profound here. At least that's what I got out of it - I hope that is what Bingham was going for. I found the book cheap to buy and fun to read, though short.
And yes, paramedics can be dumb. I have met hundreds of dumb ones in my career. They usually "shine" -but they shine dim and dull.

I feel this book was one of the best books I have read on the subject. After years of experience driving rescue ambulance, I can very much relate to many of his feelings and experiences. His ability to communicate the trials, heartbreak, and joys of rescue work in a professional,yet very personal way, makes for an easy and captivating reading. I was in tears more than once, but I was also laughing a few times while reading this book,and that is a perfect reflection of the emotional roller coaster of rescue work. I highly recommend this book not only to those in rescue work, but to anyone interested in what rescue work might be like.

I thought Bingham did a decent job on this book. I can't find anything else by him so it must be his freshman effort. Hopefully there is more to come. I like the way he sees other people and the faults within himself. We are not supermen/women in EMS and very few actually see it that way. This book was short, but I think I got the message of what he was trying to say. Probably could use a little more "picture painting" but it was not a bad effort at all. And inexpensive. Want to read the next edition....if there is one.

I've read a lot of books about paramedics and doctors and I think there are much better books out there. While the author talked about some of the lessons that he learned, he never went into any detail about any of the calls he went on. It was more like he was giving a list of what calls he had. So if you're looking for more interesting information about what paramedics actually do, this is not the book for you.

I really enjoyed this book. Not the longest I have ever read, but it touched on some areas most medics refuse to acknowledge - though we all feel them. If all you want is blood and guts maybe this isn't exactly for you, but I recommend it to learn a little about the business

This book was really good. Its more like a book with abunch of short stories because every chapter is very diffrent.