The Healer's War
The Healer's War is a 1988 science fiction novel by American writer Elizabeth Ann Scarborough. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1989. The story is about a military nurse during the Vietnam War. Plot The plot revolves around Lt. Kitty McCulley, a Military Nurse during the Vietnam War. Kitty is transferred from one area of the military hospital after accidentally killing a child, by giving her an overdose. Her new area is the orthopedics wing, where there is a pleasant staff, and patients who are awake and able to talk. The hospital takes care of both soldiers and Vietnamese citizens. The first half of the book is spent telling the story of Kitty and her time treating and becoming friends with patients, her love life (and what it is like being one of a few women on a military base), and the contrast between Vietnam and America. Kitty meets a revered Vietnamese holy man, Zu, who is one of her patients that needs surgery. No jewelry is allowed to be worn during surgery, and with a lot of effort and help from other patients, she convinces him to take off the necklace with the amulet. However, he insists that she wear it. Kitty starts to see auras around herself and others, and initially brushes it off as feeling sick. She returns it to Zu after surgery. Kitty later learns, from a GI following Zu around that he is a revered healer. Over time, various people seem to be doing better, but things take a turn for the worse when a new Surgeon takes over the orthopedics ward. The surgeon hates everyone from Vietnam, because his brother was killed in action. His brother’s sacrifice motivated him to join the military. He does everything possible to transfer/ release all of the Vietnamese patients. In most cases, this is a death sentence, as the American hospital has the resources to keep a sanitary environment. When Zu dies, he gives kitty his amulet. One boy, who had lost a leg, was almost healed, but was going to be discharged, so Kitty worked with her lover, Tony, a pilot, to move him to a separate hospital without permission. The helicopter is shot out from the sky and goes down over a jungle. Kitty’s amulet allows her to see auras, which allow them to avoid the Vietcong. From there, they spend a decent amount of the book meeting a bunch of characters. William, an American GI who is the only survivor of his squad teams up with them, only to start attacking them when he unknowingly has PTSD night terrors. Later, he gets into a mode where he is looking for Vietcong and almost kills them. Kitty is able to navigate them away safely, because she can see when he has a dangerous aura. They end up in a Vietnam village, where kitty helps fight off a snake that is killing villagers. She is able to heal a woman who was bitten by