Dispatcher’s Book

A former Ramsey County (Minn.) dispatcher has turned her experience into a tell-all book titled, “Answering 911: Life in the Hot Seat,” sparking criticism from some former co-workers. A self-admitted cocaine user in high school, Caroline Burau recounts how she straightened out and went looking for a stable job, landing in Ramsey County as a dispatcher. Her book hits the stores on Tuesday, and Burau has told a newspaper reporter, “I didn’t expect everyone to be tickled to death with what I wrote. At the same time, I think there are dispatchers out there who say, ‘Yeah, this is how I feel all the time.'” Burau received a $4,000 grant to promote her book from the Loft Literary Center. Read more about her book here, or a more gritty account here. [Barnes & Noble / Amazon]