From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9?Readers follow the work of the Bedford-Stuyvesant (NY) Volunteer Ambulance Corps through one shift, witnessing what an ambulance corps does and what it can mean to an inner-city community. The narrative combines issues of poverty, crime, and the ability of an individual to improve conditions when the larger societal structures aren't working. The text is objective and realistic and engenders respect for the people depicted. Illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographs, this success story has the potential to motivate readers to seek solutions to societal problems, to consider emergency medical service as a career, or to get involved in helping organizations on a volunteer basis. The dedication and experience of these emergency workers offers food for thought in everyday life. This uplifting book is full of drama and interesting, real-life characters who provide positive role models in harsh circumstances. A solid choice for curriculum use as well as for general reading.?Melissa Gross, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 4^-8, older for reluctant readers. Two veterans of New York City's Emergency Medical Services were determined to do something to improve emergency response time and care in their crime-and-poverty-ravaged Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Running on foot to crisis calls in 1988, these men built their volunteer efforts into a corps that now owns five ambulances and responds to more than 300 calls each month. By documenting the volunteers' interventions on one Saturday night, this brief book gives insights into the nature of their neighborhood and their dedication to providing quality emergency aid to its people. Sometimes graphic photographs illustrate this focus on volunteerism at its utmost. Ellen Mandel
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
