Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1612008 in Books
• Published on: 1988-11-01
• Released on: 1988-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover

From Publishers Weekly
A former military nurse in Vietnam, Scarborough turns here from her humorous fantasies ( The Drastic Dragon of Draco, Texas ) to this mostly realistic novel of Army nurse Kathleen McCulley's coming of age. Her tour of duty at China Beach puts the young woman from Kansas through the usual mixture of empathy for the Vietnamese and anger at the indifference or outright racism of army personnel. The unanticipated twist is a hallucinatory journey through the jungle with a one-legged Vietnamese boy, a battle-seasoned but crazy soldier and a magic amulet given her by a dying holy man. Although its moralizing invites comparison with TV's MASH and Twilight Zone , Scarborough's light, fluid storytelling and the authentic, pungent background keep this novel interesting.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Paints a vivid, detailed picture
Being born in the early '80s, I never experienced what the Vietnam War was like for Americans, military and civilian. To me, Vietnam was "just another war"; another chapter in my history textbook. Until I came across The Healer's War. The Healer's War is pure fiction, set in the war-torn jungles of Vietnam. The plot revolves around a mysterious amulet that the main character Kitty "inherits" from one of her patients. (She's a nurse in Vietnam.) As time progresses, Kitty realizes the true healing power of the amulet. Although fiction, this book paints a vivid picture of Vietnam during the war. The conditions the soldiers had to tolerate, and the daily battles is described in excruciating, almost explicit detail. The Healer's War gave me a view on Vietnam that no textbook or history class could offer. I will never look at the Vietnam War the same way again, and I now hold a respect for those that served in it. This book is a must-read.

Speculative fiction about a nurse in Vietnam.
This is an excellent novel about a nurse serving in Vietnam during the war (the author was also a nurse in Vietnam). A Vietnam veteran myself, I recommend it highly. The main character, Lt. Kitty McCulley, is having a difficult time with her nursing responsibilities and with her interactions with others. An elderly Vietnamese holy man gives her an amulet which allows her to see the "auras" of others. It helps her guide herself through the war and helps her find herself in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and Ms. Scarborough's writing (note the five stars I awarded) and I recommend the book to everyone (the publisher should be shot for letting it go out of print). However, I do have a bone to pick! What makes this novel so different can be seen by the fact that it won the 1988 Nebula Award for best science fiction novel of the year, the Nebula Award being given by the Science Fiction Writers of America. I loved the book; but, it was not the best science fiction novel of 1988. It's excellent speculative fiction and I'm certain that is the reason the members voted for it; but, I'm sorry Ms. Scarborough, every few years the SFWA seem to go off on a tangent. Nevertheless, because it has won the Nebula, it is now incumbent that all serious students of science fiction literature read "The Healer's War." But then, they should read it anyway.

Eastern mysticism combined with "China Beach"
What a lovely book, an unexpected pleasure written by a female nurse with Vietnam war experience.
As a trauma surgeon, I can assure you that the first half of the book, mostly taking place in a patient ward, feels absolutely real. Total verisimilitude.
The second half...the "jungle" half...effortless dovetails aspects of Eastern mysticism...of "auras" if you will...with tense accounts of the travails of war.
An unlikely combination to be sure, but a terrific read!
This is probably a "science fiction" book with the widest possible audience. It could be an Oprah Book Club pick, and I mean that in a good way!