Kit Wharton
Kit Wharton grew up the son of two heavy drinking journalists. After university he followed them into the same profession and spent ten years as a reporter (including three years for the Sunday Telegraph). Realising this wasn’t for him, he spent some time in removals and decorating until he hit upon the job that he loves.
For the past twelve years he has worked for the emergency ambulance service. His first book is a report from the front line of that world. He charts the emergency calls that hurtle him to critical moments of other peoples' lives, from the S&M party gone horribly wrong and the bodily discharges sure to make you retch to the colossal time wasters. Wharton also reflects on his own unconventional upbringing: a childhood 'pickled in alcohol abuse and with bohemian family setups'. He lives in the UK with his partner, two children and (until recently) Abdul the hamster. His tales of life as an ambulance man have been published in The Guardian. EMERGENCY ADMISSIONS was published by Fourth Estate in February 2017.
For the past twelve years he has worked for the emergency ambulance service. His first book is a report from the front line of that world. He charts the emergency calls that hurtle him to critical moments of other peoples' lives, from the S&M party gone horribly wrong and the bodily discharges sure to make you retch to the colossal time wasters. Wharton also reflects on his own unconventional upbringing: a childhood 'pickled in alcohol abuse and with bohemian family setups'. He lives in the UK with his partner, two children and (until recently) Abdul the hamster. His tales of life as an ambulance man have been published in The Guardian. EMERGENCY ADMISSIONS was published by Fourth Estate in February 2017.
'An entertaining and eye-opening memoir that reveals the horrors and frustrations, the joys and frequent moments of dark humour that characterise work as an ambulance driver.' The Times
‘A must-read book, eye-opening and jaw-dropping. Sometimes painful, sometimes sad, often very, very funny. Addictive and fascinating’ Craig Brown
'Books by everyday heroes sell, and so they should' The Bookseller - in Ones to Watch
‘An adrenaline-filled ride through the highs and lows of life on the NHS frontline … Memorable and blackly humorous’ Express