MINNEAPOLIS, MN (September 15, 2023)—Minneapolis Fire Captain and EMT Jeremy Norton will be discussing his new memoir, Trauma Sponges: Dispatches from the Scarred Heart of Emergency Response (University of Minnesota Press, PUB DATE: October 10, 2023) at Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais on Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 6:00 PM CT.
In this remarkable memoir, Jeremy Norton marshals twenty-two years of profession-al experience to offer, with compassion and critique, an extraordinary portrayal of emergency responders. Trauma Sponges captures in arresting detail the personal and social toll the job exacts, as well as the unique perspective afforded by sustained direct encounters with the sick, the dying, and the dead.
Norton’s stories range widely across his experience—from his early EMT training to his role as a captain; the harrowing and heart-breaking daily calls and the respect for dispatchers, paramedics, and other first responders; his crew responding to the scene of the murder of George Floyd; and an honest look at a line of work that suffers from a culture of toxic masculinity, white supremacy, and a lack of mental health support for its workers.
Dr. Sunita Puri, author of That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour said about the book, “With clarity and sensitivity, Jeremy Norton has written an eye-opening book that shows us what firefighting is often about: encountering medical emergencies more often than fires, helping strangers through the trauma of death and loss, and witnessing the ways that racism, poverty, and violence singe our society. Theirs is a particular courage that we must all celebrate.”
A book signing will follow Norton’s talk, and books will be available for purchase.
