Experience the rush as an emergency medic details some of the most formative calls of his career in the Big Easy in this action-packed memoir. Known as one of America�s most dangerous cities, New Orleans plays host to incidents ranging from the tragic and disturbing to the completely bizarre�and during his career as an emergency medic, Jon McCarthy saw it all. He chronicles some of the most formative calls of his career in this autobiography that reads like crime fiction. McCarthy demonstrates with detail and clarity that the difficult choice is often the right choice. While not for the faint of heart, each entry in this collection provides poignant insight into the bonds between medics and the people and city they serve.
Praise for Hard Roll
�One of the things Jon McCarthy does so well in this book is capture that combination of adrenaline, dark humor, and old-fashioned heroism that makes up the daily life of a first responder.� �Susan Larson, NPR�s�The Reading Life
�Masterfully describes the exhilaration of touching a patient at their most vulnerable moment and the emotional toll it takes when the outcome is not favorable and the sheer joy when medical experience meets the opportunity to make a difference .�.�. A must-read as one tries to grasp the social inequities, fragility of the war on crime, and paucity of basic healthcare that plagues our urban communities.� �Juliette M. Saussy, FACEP, former director and medical director of the New Orleans EMS, former paramedic, City of New Orleans
About the Author :
Born the son of a police officer in Tallahassee, Florida, Jon McCarthy began his public service as an active-duty member of the United States Coast Guard. After leaving the military, he entered the world of emergency medical services and has worked for twenty years as a paramedic. McCarthy was one of sixteen medics chosen to be on the TLC program Paramedics. He became one of the cocreators of the New Orleans EMS Field Training Officer (FTO) program and served as the lead FTO for five years.
As an ardent comic book fan, McCarthy cocreated and wrote the first issue of the comic book Hungry for Stink. McCarthy is also the author of the children's book Goodbye Bad Dreams. He lives in New Orleans with his wife, Suzanne, his two sons, Logan and Gryphon, and a multitude of dogs and cats.
