Blood, Sweat, and Tea: Real-Life Adventures in an Inner-City Ambulance [Paperback]

Tom Reynolds (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

An alluring mix of humor, bravery, cynicism, and compassion." --London Daily Telegraph

It's the stuff of Grey's Anatomy, House, and ER--only these events aren't unfolding on a Hollywood soundstage.

Have you ever wondered what's going on inside the ambulance screaming past you during your rush-hour commute? Since 2003, Tom Reynolds (writing under an alias so as not to get sacked from his job), has kept a blog where he chronicles the day-in, day-out realities of his life on the job as an EMT with the London Ambulance Service.

By turns both poignant and profound, Reynolds's writing captures the very essence of life and death. From the mundane to the surreal, from the heartwarming to the cynical, from the calm to the frenetic, more than 300 entries from his popular blog at randomreality.blogware.com are included in the book.

Dear Mr. Alcoholic:

Would you mind awfully not swearing at me, taking a swing at me, or exposing yourself to me? I have quite enough abuse from the nondrunks out there. . . . Still, at least your fists are easy to dodge, and if I stop holding you up, you fall over.

The author's hugely popular blog, Random Acts of Reality, has been named Medgadget Best Medical Blog and Best Literary Medical Blog.

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of the most gripping blogs around - The Guardian --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

On July 22, 2003, an emergency medical technician living in London began writing a blog under the pseudonym Tom Reynolds. One mention by a writer for the Guardian and that blog has changed his life--with more people coming to know him as Tom Reynolds than as Brian Kellett.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; Original edition (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740771191
• ISBN-13: 978-0740771194
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #573,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

On July 22, 2003, an emergency medical technician living in London began writing a blog under the pseudonym Tom Reynolds. One mention by a writer for the Guardian and that blog has changed his life--with more people coming to know him as Tom Reynolds than as Brian Kellett. (http://randomreality.blogware.com/blog)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A raw and emotional look at ambulance service in London, October 2, 2006

By 

Andrew W. Johns "ResQgeek" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood, Sweat and Tea (Paperback)

Because this book began life as a blog and hasn't been polished for publication in book form, the final product provides an extremely raw glimpse into life as an EMT on the busy streets of London. In turns comic, tragic and infuriating, the experiences described here refelct the reality of providing emergency services in an urban environment. Between the traffic, inadequate resources and regular abuse of the system, it is sometimes amazing that the ambulance services in big cities are able to provide anything close to adequate service. Clearly, the dedicated men and women who provide this service are the key to its success, in spite of the obstacles they face.

I spent about twelve years as an EMT with various ambulance services in the US during my early adult years. While the author's story differs from mine in its details, I had little difficulty identifying with his attitudes and sense of humor. He continues to write in his blog and I look forward to continuing to read about his adventures on the streets of London.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great 'toilet' book, May 2, 2007

By 

Ste Cork - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood, Sweat and Tea (Paperback)

I've never read the original blog that this is apparently from, nor have I ever worked in the emergency services. But if you want a great book that you can pick up and read any amount of, large or small, in a single sitting, without having to remember any plot details or break-off mid chapter then this is the one. A fascinating insite into how stupid / tragic / brave / interesting ordinary people can be, and how the emergency services deal with them. I almost got 'roids through sitting there far too long while reading this - there's always "just one more" anecdote to read before putting it down. Fingers crossed he brings out another, I don't care if it's a cut and paste from some website I've never seen. I hope the ambulance-bosses read it as well, and learn what it's like for the people on the "front line".

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rants and reflections, October 4, 2006

By 

Semioticghost "Semioticghost" (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood, Sweat and Tea (Paperback)

Tom Reynold's "Blood, Sweat and Tea" is a collection of annotated blog posts devoted to the lives and lives of a London ambulance service medic, and I enjoyed it. The book also happens to be a good example of how somebody can blog about work, with space to rant and reflect while maintaining confidentiality. I'd want to buy him a beer, not just for his tips about how to blog and remain employed...

I hope that once I blog about clinical training (which I'll have to in order to keep me sane), I'll manage to walk the tightrope as eloquently as Reynolds has done.