
Bad Call
A Summer Job on a New York Ambulance
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Narrated by:
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Daniel Thomas May
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By:
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Mike Scardino
An adrenaline-fueled read that will stay with you long after the you listen to the last sentence, Bad Call is a "compulsively readable, totally unforgettable"* memoir about working on a New York City ambulance in the 1960s. (*James Patterson)
Bad Call is Mike Scardino's visceral, fast-moving, and mordantly funny account of the summers he spent working as an "ambulance attendant" on the mean streets of late-1960s New York.
Fueled by adrenaline and Sabrett's hot dogs, young Mike spends his days speeding from one chaotic emergency to another. His adventures take him into the middle of incipient race riots, to the scene of a plane crash at JFK airport and into private lives all over Queens, where New Yorkers are suffering, and dying, in unimaginable ways. Learning on the job, Mike encounters all manner of freakish accidents (the man who drank Drano, the woman attacked by rats, the man who inflated like a balloon), meets countless unforgettable New York characters, falls in love, is nearly murdered, and gets an early and indelible education in the impermanence of life and the cruelty of chance.
Action-packed, poignant, and rich with details that bring Mike's world to technicolor life, Bad Call is a gritty portrait of a bygone era as well as a bracing reminder that, though "life itself is a fatal condition," it's worth pausing to notice the moments of beauty, hope, and everyday heroism along the way.
©2018 Mike Scardino (P)2018 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
"In this fresh and powerful debut memoir, Scardino looks back on his summers during college in the late 1960s when he worked as a New York City hospital ambulance attendant...Scardino recounts in short chapters the many emergencies he witnessed and assisted in that showed him 'the entire catalog of horrifying things that can happen to a human body.' From accidental deaths to suicides, Scardino writes with the detail of a crime reporter...Scardino's unsparing memoir offers an empathetic look at human pain and suffering." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
Interesting look at life as an ambulance driver
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such a well written memoir!
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Fantastic!
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I have tremendous respect for First Responders, and I have listened to many books written by them and about them, especially regarding ambulance personnel. the author described the stories wonderfully, and from the other comments, I would imagine very accurately. he also described his experience in a way that felt very depressing. I understand that that is most likely how most EMS personnel feel, at least at some points in the career, but what bothers me is that it seemed the author cannot find anything good or meaningful in his experience, thus making the readers experience also less meaningful. there doesn't need to be some kind of huge, noble revelation. But, something a bit more than nothing would have helped the reder/listener also derived meaning from his experiences.
Left Me Feeling Empty
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Short Stories of Experiences on an Ambulance
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Challenges of Ambulance Psychology
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<Can’t make this up> stories
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This was one fantastic distraction! Time flew with each engrossing chapter until with dismay, I realized the book was finished and I’d listened to the entire thing in one go.
Mike Scardino provides an intense, unrelenting glimpse inside a NYC ambulance. This isn’t a novel about body horror and death, though, even as both are present (it is an ambulance, after all). Mr. Scardino’s perspective is equally beautiful and reflective as it is weary and jaded. With each hardship, he manages to leave one thoughtful instead of bogged down with angst.
Overall, a great listen! In three words: sobering, engrossing, and thoughtful.
Finished in One Sitting
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I loved this book!
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Eye Opener
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