Some else can use this

[james_davis_nicoll]

This combined with the fact that I am rereading Nourse's Star Surgeon suggests a setting where the One Thing Earthicans Do Better Than Anyone Else is teach. I'm sure there's a way of doing it without it being a What These People Need is a Human book....

Comments

[kithrup.livejournal.com]

I think someone has already done that. A short story, I believe, in which humans were highly-valued as teachers, and this was the human race's way of ensuring they were distributed through the galaxy.

[caper-est.livejournal.com]

Eric Frank Russell's Fast Falls the Eventide.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

As opposed to a "what these Earthers need is a Garvian" book, eh? (Since the admission of Earth to full member status in galactic civilization turns out to have depended on Dal achieving full star surgeon status).

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

OMG spoilers! ;)

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

I love Star Surgeon, I and was delighted to find it available for free as an ebook for my Touch. (I was further delighted to find out how his last name was really pronounced, when Tony Lewis in NESFA told me. "Paging Dr. Nourse..." must have sounded so strange when he was practicing medicine.)