The Least of My Brothers by Jeff Solomon

The protagonist, paramedic Hunter Solomon, harbors an unexplained belief that his patients can lay claim to some portion of his life. As his assignments take him from scenic Malibu to stark ghettos, he meets a range of patients from the wealthy and famous to holocaust survivors to the fatherless boy who lives on the other side of the wall at his fire station. After a near fatal heart attack, Hunter discovers clearly what he has known for years- it is expressed in the only biblical verse he has ever remembered: What you do unto the least of my brothers, you do unto me. This street level indictment of our healthcare system takes us through Hunter’s images and feelings at grinding auto accidents to the dogged determination it takes to not only fight fires but also to combat the many forms of medical malpractice and administrative egos. He sees that the suffering and death which result from bad faith and bad medical practices don’t stop at the gates to the wealthy- we are all the least of his brothers.