{"product_id":"black-flies-9781593761912","title":"Black Flies","description":"\u003cb\u003eA \"raw and fascinating\" novel based on the author's experiences as a New York City paramedic during the crack epidemic--\"Burke is a poet of trauma\" (\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review).\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eBlack Flies\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of paramedic Ollie Cross and his first year on the job in mid-'90s Harlem. It is a ground's eye view of life on the streets: the shootouts, the bad cops, the hopeless patients, the dark humor in bizarre circumstances, and one medic's struggle to maintain his desire to help despite his growing callousness. It is the story of lives that hang in the balance, and of a single job with a misdiagnosed newborn that sends Cross and his partner into a life-changing struggle between good and evil. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Although \u003ci\u003eBlack Flies\u003c\/i\u003e is a novel, it contains more reflections of lived experience than some memoirs. . . . Reading this arresting, confrontational book is like reading \u003ci\u003eDispatches\u003c\/i\u003e, Michael Herr's indelible account of his years as a reporter in Vietnam.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Book Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Soft Skull\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/2008\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781593761912\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 192\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.43lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.22h x 6.54w x 0.52d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/31\/2008 pg. 41\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/25\/2008 pg. 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2008 pg. 50\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNY Times Notable Bks of Year\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/07\/2008 pg. 9\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Shannon Burke","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43972153475253,"sku":"9781593761912","price":13.56,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_e2bad196-a9d0-4e66-82f5-1d9e2bfafad2.jpg?v=1713282235","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/black-flies-9781593761912","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}