Mastering the Knife is the coming-of-age story of an Egyptian/German medical student in the hospitals of London in the 1960s. Hounded by failure, self-doubt and cultural identity, he searches for his social and professional place in the world. The story masterfully goes beyond the biographical to encompass the people, language and the rituals of surgical training as the author lifts the veil on the technical and moral concerns that contribute to the making of a successful surgeon.