<DIV><DIV><P>A&#160;<I>New York Times</I> Bestseller</P><P>In his latest bestseller, Atul Gawande shows what the simple idea of the checklist reveals about the complexity of our lives and how we can deal with it.</P><P>The modern world has given us stupendous know-how. Yet avoidable failures continue to plague us in health care, government, the law, the financial industry---in almost every realm of organized activity. And the reason is simple: the volume and complexity of knowledge today has exceeded our ability as individuals to properly deliver it to people---consistently, correctly, safely. We train longer, specialize more, use ever-advancing technologies, and still we fail. Atul Gawande makes a compelling argument that we can do better, using the simplest of methods: the checklist. In riveting stories, he reveals what checklists can do, what they can&#8217;t, and how they could bring about striking improvements in a variety of fields, from medicine and disaster recovery to professions and businesses of all kinds. And the insights are making a difference. Already, a simple surgical checklist from the World Health Organization designed by following the ideas described here has been adopted in more than twenty countries as a standard for care and has been heralded as &#8220;the biggest clinical invention in thirty years&#8221; (<I>The Independent</I>).</P></DIV></DIV>