nonfiction/memoir - longtime (sr.manager) lieutenant paramedic with the NYC Fire Department (who is incidentally half-Filipino, half white) recounts the personal connections he has made over his career, and the effects of the extended pandemic crisis.

It's clear that Anthony is a people person, and he has made and cherished many connections with the people he has worked with--like an extended family. Unfortunately all these collective names and experiences kind of clutter up the narrative arc (sort of like an endless parade of people I don't know and can't really tell apart, punctuated with bizarre/interesting EMT/paramedic stories and passing details of great places to eat lunch in the city), so it's not a boring book but it is one that I struggle to stick with for long periods of time.

Maybe I was expecting it to be exhausting, judging from what footage I've seen of NYC hospitals and ERs during the pandemic, but I wasn't counting on also being exhausted from meeting so many gregarious people (the perils of being an introverted reader). Oh well -- I spent a week trying to make my way through it slowly but finally gave in around page 46. I think there's probably a lot of good stuff in here, I just can't make the effort to wade through it all. ( )

I truly enjoy memoirs, but not those of celebrities, politicians etc. Instead I am drawn to the lives of everyday people going about their work and lives, making a difference, testing limits, exploring our world and more.

Anthony Almojera's memoir Riding the Lightning: A Year in the Life of a New Your City Paramedic, is one I knew I wanted to listen to. Almojera is a Lieutenant Paramedic with the FDNY's EMS.

Almojera is brutally honest, detailing his own life and sharing personal stories, thoughts and emotions in this memoir. And I couldn't help but think 'I would like to meet this guy in person'. His strong opinions have nothing behind them but betterment for the patients and employees of the Emergency Medical Services of the New York Fire Department. The first half of the book can be seen as a 'before'. We see what the Paramedics do on a daily basis. The lives saved and the lives lost. And at what cost to those who have chosen this job.

Part Two is the 'after' if you will. After Covid-19 arrived. And the job got even tougher. The realities of trying to answer so many calls and only getting there to find yet another body is heartbreaking. I am truly in awe of those who kept coming to work, trying to save who they can and do their best, even when it seems futile. The job was tough enough pre Covid, and what they're facing now in these new parameters is simply mind boggling. I could see why Almojera is crusading for for better equipment, sufficient supplies, higher pay and equality for EMS personnel.

Almojera is Brooklyn born and bred. His love for his city is evident in his descriptions, actions, service and more.

I chose to listen to Riding the Lighting as the author himself was narrating. I find I become more immersed in a book when I listen. And this was most definitely the case with Riding the Lightning Having the author read his own work is a treat. Almojera has an authentic Brooklyn accent that I enjoyed listening to. He also has a gravelly tone to his voice that seems to just emphasize the subject matter and underline what's being said. He reading speed was good. I was easily drawn into the book and was caught up 'til the last chapters. You really can't rate someone's life story, but if I had to rate this book, I'd give it a five. ( )

hard-reality, emergency-workers, self-destructive-behaviors, self-worth-issues, contagion, nonfiction, real-horror, biography, memoir*****

This is not an unbiased review. I am a retired RN who has worked inner city mission hospital and jails in a COUNTY of over 941,997 people as opposed to the NYC borough of BROOKLYN's 2.6 million residents. But I've worked around the front-line workers and know more about necessities shortages and front office BS than some. Besides, my daughter lives and works in Brooklyn.
The author starts with a lot of personal background as well as background of the EMS service in NYC before moving into the devastating and mind-numbing effects of working and grieving in the horror that came with Corona virus. Along the way he translates medical language into words and explanations suitable for the general English-speaking public. An excellent wake-up call, but don't forget all the souls lost in rural areas that do not have the services expected in cities.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Mariner Books via NetGalley. Thank you ( )