Blood, Sweat and Tea – Tom Reynolds
This is a blog-turned-book, the writer telling of his trials and tribulations as an ambulance driver in London. The style of writing is very much typical diary entries and I was hopeful that it would make for interesting reading, revealing the inner secrets of people’s everyday lives. I was sadly disappointed. The book includes details of his HIV testing because of an incident while ‘on the job’ and though there are some interesting cases he encounters during his work, I had hoped for more from this read. The detail was missing and most of the book, for me, read like a big moan. Yes the ambulance crew work hard, but so do many of the other professions. And they are hardly undervalued. Most of us appreciate their work and do regard them as vital. So for me, the complaining aspect of the book, along with the constant reminders of all the filth that his black boots carried during the course of the day, made it a distasteful read I’m afraid.
