My EMS Book Review for August is Population: 485 – Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry. From the title alone, readers will recognize this as a commentary on rural EMS. It’s a sharp contrast from many books in the EMS genre that are borne out of inner-city “knife and gun club” response areas. 
Perry is a skilled writer with the ability to pull readers into the action of a call, but his book goes beyond the sirens and wrecks. He takes seriously the idea of “meeting your neighbors” implied in the subtitle. His reflections are more than observations of patients and providers. It is a commentary on community; the people, the places, and most importantly the relationships.
I would recommend this book to anyone, regardless of their involvement in EMS or Fire. Perry also shares his thoughts with readers in a great interview on Medical Author Chat. When you head out to grab your own copy, make sure to buy two. You’ll want to share this one with your friends!
Related posts:
- EMS Book Review: “Ambulance Girl: How I Saved Myself By Becoming an EMT” by Jane Stern
- EMS Book Review: “Please Don’t Dance In My Ambulance” by Barry Bachenheimer
- EMS Book Review: “Moments in the Death of a Flesh Mechanic … a healer’s rebirth” by Russ Reina.
- EMS Book Review: A Paramedic’s Story: Life, Death, and Everything in Between
- EMS Book Review: Paramedic Buff to Burnt by George Steffensen