BETTER A Surgeon's Notes on Performance

Gawande, a surgeon and writer, mixes facts and storytelling to describe ways to better the medical profession. He opens with a question: "What does it take to be good at something in which failure is so easy?" His curiosity leads to thoughtful investigation, interviews, and reflection. Gawande's scope is broad and candid. He covers health changes related to hand-washing, changes in medicine in the Iraq War, questions faced by doctors attending executions, his own awkwardness with patients' undressing, and improvements made by honest evaluation in treating cystic fibrosis. John Bedford Lloyd's deep, rich voice delivers just the mix we look for in doctors--knowledgeable, authoritarian tones mixed with the warm, comforting style that characterizes a great bedside manner. S.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 07]