In the early 1980s, Bruce Wolk was a Yuppie wannabe with an MBA, who after being fired, went from a sleek marketing job for a major New York City cosmetics firm to becoming an EMT and then, paramedic serving Manhattan. He worked the streets as a horrific disease that came to be known as AIDS began its awful spread. The experience changed his life.

The Sea of Peroxide is the recollection of a terrible disease observed first-hand from the driver’s seat of an ambulance. The book shows AIDS wasn’t a “gay illness,” the virus went wherever infected blood went, the government cared little about the victims, and New York City was ill-prepared for the tragedy.

The book is gritty and street level. Most scenes involve the toll that HIV/AIDS took on families and loved ones. In some cases, there is blood and the aftermath of street violence. The book is not intended for young children.

The memoir includes recollections of other EMS responders of the early AIDS era in addition to those of the author. It is also an unashamed journey of the author’s own depression, and demands healthcare systems treat EMTs and paramedics with greater compassion for their unique struggles.

The book will provide a deeper understanding of the AIDS epidemic and includes:

– Real-life accounts of the early days of the AIDS crisis
– Insights into the struggles of ravaged communities
– Why none of us should ever be complacent
No book has ever documented this tragedy at street level.