A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic’s Wild Ride to the Edge and Back

Kevin Hazzard offers an unflinching view of life as a paramedic. A Thousand Naked Strangers is essentially his uncensored report of events he witnessed or experienced during his ten-year paramedic career in Atlanta.

Whether the book will increase its readers’ appreciation for the sacrifices made by paramedics who are dedicated to saving lives will depend upon the ability of readers to separate the chaff from the wheat as they travel the timeline from Hazzard’s initial training to his realization that it’s time to leave. There is a hint of overarching egomania throughout the book. It reappears as Hazzard and his partner struggle to define the “perfect call” and eventually decide that it would require trauma and medical emergencies which they would navigate as pros, notwithstanding some essential fatalities. He also expresses disdain for members of other medical professions who demonstrate a perceived lack of appreciation for paramedics. The increasing comfort level with the macabre, which seems ever present in the paramedics’ daily lives, may provide an explanation for this attitude.

This is definitely not a book for the faint of heart.