'The Lighter Side' Parts 1 & 2

In his 'The Dark Side' series, Andy Thompson gives us a taste of the dark sense of humour paramedics use as a coping mechanism; in the TLS series he packs laugh-out-loud moments into every page as he recalls health care professionals' encounters with the weirdest of behaviour, hilarious misunderstandings, and cringingly embarrasing episodes.

You'll soon be relating to the sense of humour that moves an ambulance driver to respond to his friend and fellow paramedic's predicament on a hot summer's day, as a powerful smell engulfs the saloon of the vehicle. What would you do? Open the cab windows and the hatch through to the saloon to provide some extra ventilation? Of course not! You switch the heating on, causing the already intolerable pong to become even more unbearable, making for a bangin' mess room tale on your later return!

Wonderfully illustrated with cartoons by Richard Duszczak depicting each scene, it's an eye-watering insight into the Lighter Side of working on the Dark Side, straight from the mess rooms of ambulance stations up and down the UK. There's also a heartening reminder of the power of a flamin' good belly laugh and its analgesic effect even in situations of severe pain. This is a book that laughs in the face of extreme emotion and stress. Outrageous? Perhaps. Distasteful? Probably. Humorous? Absolutely!
Both TLS and TLS 2 are available for download as well as in paperback and audio formats.

 The Lighter Side, Part 2 - 'A Former NHS Paramedic's Selection of Humorous Mess Room Tales' - is available in audio format from May 2021.

Also available in paperback and digital formats from April 2021.