Written shortly after William Eastlake's return from Vietnam where he was a reporter for Nation magazine, The Bamboo Bed was one of the first novels to proclaim the insanity of the Vietnam War. The plot revolves around Captain Clancy, who—mortally wounded while leading a charge up Ridge Red Boy—lies dying in a bamboo bed. His final thoughts about the war are juxtaposed against the escapades of Captain Knightbridge and Nurse Jane of the Search & Rescue Unit, who copulate in their helicopter—the "Bamboo Bed"—at 10,000 feet, setting a wartime record. Down below, two hippie kids wander the jungle trying to end the Vietnam War with a dream and a guitar. Both lyric and surreal, The Bamboo Bed treats with humor and outrage the grim absurdity of war.