Here is a book I suggested to Tall Reader (and others) before I even finished it: American Sirens: the Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics, by Kevin Hazzard. There have been medically trained folks on ambulances (even back when they were pulled by horses) before, especially during war times, but then they always sort of faded from view. During the sixties, in certain parts of the country, EMS type services didn't always serve certain parts of town. To remedy that, Peter Safar (inventor of CPR, and developer of the first Resi-Annie) had the idea of forming a rescue unit for just that sort of area in Pittsburgh. Plus, he knew there was a better way to transport the injured than to just toss them in the back of a hearse (which was the usual means of transport) and speed to the hospital. He developed an intensive training program for these men (giving hope to many who would never would have had jobs otherwise) and it proved to be successful! When it started to catch on, however, politics, racism, and power plays came into play. This is a powerful read. It should make you happy, and angry, and frustrated ...! What an amazing job of research. Tall Reader has already purchased it for a gift!

Although it was listed as a comedy, there were serious moments, too, so I thought this would be a nice pairing with the book mentioned above. According to the cover of a Life special magazine I picked up this past week, M*A*S*H is 50 years old. (although I've just noticed it says 'reissue' in tiny print, and upon checking it might have come out in 2020 originally). I've watched the show, and done a lot of reading about it so I thought his looked interesting. It was! (It IS a Life publication, after all). There are articles about the book, the movie, and the show (and a few that came after). You'll read about the actors and the writers, the setting, and the laughter. Nice pictures, too. Title is M*A*S*H: TV's Most Extraordinary Comedy.

Reading Hermit With Dog