How many times must a surgeon be put to the test when he is trying to move from professional to exceptional? ‘Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance’ tries to answer this question. This is the second book of Atul Gawande’s medical trilogy. In this book, Atul Gawande proposes that benevolence is the basis of becoming a surgeon. In order to become an excellent surgeon, one needs to possess diligence, the drive to do right, and ingenuity, in addition to simply possessing masterful medical skills.