Scan barcode
A review by amandasbookreview
American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics by Kevin Hazzard
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
“The names and faces, the voices of those who decades ago took a leap of faith and started a revolution that saved countless lives across the world: nobody knew them. No one heard them. Like the uprising in 1968, they were bottled up and held at bay, their voices silenced.”
AMERICAN SIRENS
Thank you, Kevin Hazzard and Hachette Books for the opportunity to read this book. It can be added to your shelf on September 20th, 2022.
American Sirens by Kevin Hazzard is a nonfiction account that reads like a novel. It is about the true story of the Black Men who became America’s First Paramedics. The book begins with a brief explanation of the history of pre-hospital medical care. In America, during the 1960s and before, if there was an emergency there was a good chance that the victim would not make it to the hospital. There were ambulances mostly manned by reluctant police and fireman just picking up a few hours. There was no mandatory training. The person who would change all that is Peter Safar, the man credited with pioneering CPR. He would set the standards of pre-hospital care. However, it is the men who were the first paramedics that would make the difference.
Freedom House was founded in 1967. Phil Hallan, the co-founder, wanted to create opportunities for Black men in Pittsburg. Twenty-five Black men were recruited from The Hill District. They went through rigorous medical training and would care for the local neighborhoods saving countless lives while facing pushback from politicians and racism.
This book is a quick read. It is filled with important stories, yet short chapters. I found that I could have kept on reading. It was incredible reading about Peter Safar, Phil Hallan, and Nancy Caroline, but the part I looked forward to the most was how these men revolutionized ambulance care. I do wish there were more stories involving these men, whose names we do not know. This book would make an incredible documentary and I would love to learn more about these incredible men and women. Or better yet, a fictional series making their names known. Here are their names:
Freedom House was founded in 1967. Phil Hallan, the co-founder, wanted to create opportunities for Black men in Pittsburg. Twenty-five Black men were recruited from The Hill District. They went through rigorous medical training and would care for the local neighborhoods saving countless lives while facing pushback from politicians and racism.
This book is a quick read. It is filled with important stories, yet short chapters. I found that I could have kept on reading. It was incredible reading about Peter Safar, Phil Hallan, and Nancy Caroline, but the part I looked forward to the most was how these men revolutionized ambulance care. I do wish there were more stories involving these men, whose names we do not know. This book would make an incredible documentary and I would love to learn more about these incredible men and women. Or better yet, a fictional series making their names known. Here are their names:
Michael Blackman
Harold Brown
Mitchell Brown
Walter Brown
David Clemens
Arthur Davis
Ray Davis
Clyde Dunson
John Franklin
Harvey Gandy
Tom Grace
Harold Holland
Addie Johnson
Eugene Key
James Kyte
George McCary
Thomas Mitchell
John Moon
Daniel Nickens
William Porter
Raymond Pridgen
Ron Ragin
David Rayzer
Curtis Scott
Ernest Simpson
Carl Staten
Wallace Sullivan
David Thomas
Thomas Wade
Kenneth Williams