Relevant but Not Black Literature

[umbrarchist]

I read this book when I was 9 years old in 4 grade.  The author was White and there are no Black characters in the story. But the following three long positive reviews mention Racism. Science Fiction has somewhat of a reputation for saying what cannot be said in the cultural climate of the time.

 

This book got me hooked on science fiction which introduced me to information and ideas that I was not getting elsewhere at the time. I actually do not know how I would have gotten through grammar school without it. Maybe I could have murdered a nun or three.

 

The book is now free on the Internet as text and an audiobook.

 

I have no info on the ethnicity of the reviewers

 

Star Surgeon

Alan E. Nourse, Scott D. Farquhar (Narrator)

3.87

501 ratings. 85 reviews

Warren Fournier

702 reviews · 119 followers

May 4, 2022

This YA novel from 1959 is a critique of systemic racism thinly disguised as a Golden-age space opera that works surprisingly well. 

In the distant future, humans have invented the Koenig star-drive, allowing us to explore solar systems far beyond our own. It turns out that the galaxy is teaming with intelligent life, united under a Galactic Confederation, but it seems human civilization is the only one that has developed any kind of medical science. Therefore, Hospital Earth is the main center of healthcare in the whole galaxy. Dal, an alien from the planet Garv II, is inspired to become a physician, probably the only one in the history of his people. But while Earthlings have long since ended their centuries of race and culture wars, becoming unified in their diversity, there is still fear of the Other. Thus, our hero struggles to graduate from medical school on an equal footing with his human colleagues despite his academic performance. 

But this book is far more advanced in it's conception of the cause of racism than we have today. Racism does not come from some inherent fault in the genetics of white people, one of the latest racist testaments of contemporary culture, nor is it the product of necessarily a fault of ignorance or morality. It is the product of politics. A truly unified population is impossible to control. Once cultures and ethnicities blend in harmony, apparent differences tend to dissipate anyway to the point where a common language and values are shared. The political elite are motivated for this to never happen, and thus to stoke the fires of division.

In this case, Earth holds the monopoly on the health sciences. All other planets must rely on humans to save them from infectious epidemics and other global health crises. Therefore, the Confederation NEEDS Earth, and that gives Earth political leverage and power. If a non-human is allowed to join the exclusive club, then it won't be long before other alien candidates will be admitted, this diluting the power. 

Racism is fear of losing control.

Now, as brilliant as this idea is, the author does not subtlety weave this in to the narrative. Instead, he artificially inserts the main theme into an inquest on whether to grant the young Garvian a probationary license. So one doctor basically spouts out the whole plan to keep the medical profession ethnically pure--right in front of Dal. Not in closed session. Not in some internal narration. Not even in a private scene where he lets the sinister motivation slip while having one too many pangalactic gargleblasters. Nope. Instead, the scene plays out like a senator shouting out on C-SPAN, "We are holding this hearing today not really to investigate anything, but only to tarnish the reputation of the other party to make sure they never get elected again! It's our only hope to stay in power! We must rule the WORLD! Mwoo hoo ha ha haaaaa!!!" 

Sure, that would be honest. But it's stupid. And it doesn't happen. So it should not have been written this way in this book. I understand this is a novel for young people, but I think the author should have respected the intelligence of his audience a lot more.

But the rest of the book is pure Golden-age sci-fi goodness. Dal, his pink pet Fuzzy, and two other resident doctors, fly around space in their rocket ship "Lancet," encountering different races and planetary environments among a variety of medical challenges. These are the kinds of adventure stories I like best, and why Doctor Who remains one of my favorite television shows. "Star Surgeon" also reminds me of Murray Leinster's "Med Ship" series, also reviewed here, which follows a similar formula.

The stakes are high for Dal, as not only does he have the lives of his patients on his hands, but mean Doctor Hugo Tanner is gunning for him. One slight mistake could give an excuse for Dal's dismissal. So this makes for some fairly good drama as well as fun sci-fi adventure.

The way I came across this book was kind of by mistake. I was looking to read the James White "Sector General" series, which includes a novel called "Star Surgeon." But this one was published some three years before and was written by Alan E. Nourse, who was also a physician. Nourse even wrote several nonfiction medical texts. When he wrote fiction, he sometimes went by the rather sinister pseudonym Doctor X. Fun fact, Nourse's novel "The Bladerunner" was the source of the title of the famous movie "Bladerunner," though the movie script was mostly based off of Phillip Dick's story "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep." Anyway, it seems I have a few more medical space operas to check out, and you can be sure I'll review them here!

But in the meantime, I do recommend this short novel to vintage sci-fi fans young and old. It's a simple but fun romp through exotic worlds with a worthwhile message.

Cheryl

11.1k reviews · 460 followers

June 18, 2020

Highly recommended. Never mind that it's old; it's relevant right now. I enjoyed the free audio from Librivox.org of this short public domain book and suggest you trust me (the narrator is a volunteer, but he's very good... there's also an ebook version on project gutenberg). If you want more persuasion, read on, but I can't really talk about it without being a bit spoilery.

Mostly surprisingly intelligent and wise. Ok, it does seem odd at the beginning that Tanner has to tell the committee his objections to the Garvian probationer, as I would think they would have had discussions well before Dal had 8 years of training. And the cleverness of the virus vs. their hosts is kind of awkward (see Manny's review). 

But the anti-racist message of Dal's fight for respect and independence is beautifully done. He has to deal not only with Tanner's racism and extreme patriotism, and Jack's ignorance and fear, but with his friend Tiger's impulses to be a 'white savior.' He has to find his own core of strength, his own confidence in his skills and judgement, his own self-respect. All along I thought he was doing fine, but the ending just makes me realize that, as a white American, I do not always see what challenges the disenfranchised face.

Lis Carey

2,200 reviews · 121 followers

June 26, 2022

Dal Timgar wants to be a surgeon. He's dreamed of it most of his life, and he has the intelligence and the discipline to do it.

Unfortunately, he's a Garvian, an alien, humanoid, but not human. No non-human has ever studied medicine on Hospital Earth; Dal is the first. And he's mostly not welcome.

When Earth developed a faster than light space drive, they also discovered a thriving Galactic Federation, composed of myriad different races. Each of them contributes some particular talent or achievement. Dal's race, the Garvians, are merchants, and especially good at managing people.

Earth's specialty is medicine. Since having a valued specialty is the price of full admission to the Galactic Federation, Earth, now "Hospital Earth," is determined to protect the reputation of its doctors and medical technology. 

Dal Timgar gained admission to medical school, and has graduated. He's ready for his first assignment on a patrol ship, the assignment all young doctors must complete successfully before getting full recognition as doctors in their chosen specialties. But there is opposition to Dal getting his assignment; there has been from the beginning. Have failed to stop his admission, they try to stop him at this point--and he achieves a highly conditional victory. He gets his assignment, but with conditions and with one of his teammates chosen by his biggest enemy.

Frank, a.k.a "Tiger" Martin is the Green Doctor, the internal medicine specialist, and a friend of Dal's from early in medical school. Dal is the Red Doctor, the surgeon. The Blue Doctor, the diagnostician, is Jack Alvarez, the choice of Dal's most determined enemy, and very hostile to Dal's presence in the medical service, never mind on the same ship.

This is a book that takes on racism, including structural racism, pretty directly, but also with grace. Jack's racism is obvious. Tiger, with the best of intentions, and loyalty to his friend, has an inclination to be a rather bull-headed "White Knight" savior, which Dal finds neither welcome nor helpful.

These three young men have to find a way to work together, while confronting some serious challenges on worlds Hospital Earth, and even the Galactic Federation, haven't been in contact with before. They all have a lot to learn. Aside from Jack's desire to find something that will disqualify Dal, and Tiger wanting to charge in and save Dal when there's a problem, Dal has his own temptations. He has a companion, a symbiote, and it's very, very useful. It's one of the things that makes Garvians such successful traders. And it would be extremely unethical for Dal to use it to help him in his difficulties with humans--at least according to the ethics he's learned on Earth. Will he resist? Will he succumb to temptation?

This is an enjoyable book, with decently drawn characters, and real growth in those characters, including the ones one might not be tempted to think of as good guys

It's not as good or exciting as I thought when I was racing through all the science fiction in the library in the 1960s, but it is good, and satisfying, and making thoughtful points I didn't consciously notice as a kid.

Recommended.

It's available free as an audiobook on LibriVox, and as an ebook on Project Gutenberg, and I am reviewing it voluntarily.

[umbrarchist]

Another Haole perspective on the Negro Problem:

 

 

Black Man's Burden (1961) &
Border, Breed nor Birth  (1963) by Mack Reynolds 

In 1972 I read Mack Reynold’s Black Man’s Burden/Border, Breed Nor Birth, a cool looking ACE Double. I discovered the stories were reprinted from ANALOG and written a decade earlier. Yes, there are some politically incorrect aspects to these stories of a group of African-Americans who decide to unite North African countries by creating a mythical leader, El Hassan, to bring progress to suffering people. In the Introduction to “Black Sheep Astray” Mack Reynolds writes that John Campbell, editor of ANALOG , suggested elements of the series.

 

Later, I learned there was another book in the North Africa Series, The Best Ye Breed, where the Soviets, Japanese and Americans decide El Hassan must be assassinated because he and his group controls too many vital natural resources. Mack Reynolds may have come up with this idea because of the OPEC oil crisis at the time. Nation-building isn’t a common Science Fiction theme, but Mack Reynolds–a SF writer who wrote about politics and economics–delivers a thought-provoking series. GRADE: B+

https://sfgospel.typepad.com/sf_gospel/2008/08/mack-reynolds-on-africa-islam-utopia-and-progress.html

Edited September 6, 2024 by umbrarchist
Add pix & Bolding

[umbrarchist]

These are interesting in that they were written before Gaddafi came to power but the same year that Patrice Lumumba was killed .

 

Black Man's Burden (1961) by Mack Reynolds
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/32390

 

Border, Breed Nor Birth (1962) by Mack Reynolds
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/30639

 

50 years later Gaddafi was taken down while a Black man was in the White House who got a Nobel Peace Prize.

 

Obama was born in 1961

the year I started reading SF.

.

Edited September 8, 2024 by umbrarchist
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