Many take for granted a general meaning of the phrase "do the right thing." But Dr. Arthur Lauretano, in Do the Right Thing: A Surgeon's Approach to Life , shows the importance of taking into account context, perspective, and our individual strengths and talents in determining what is truly right for each individual and situation. Lauretano learns from expected sources such as teachers and colleagues, but also from unexpected ones-musicians, cranky patients, IV-drug users, and those suffering from terminal cancer-each of whose influence has shaped his unique outlook on career, home life, community and global conditions.