Regnum Books International, 2014, £9.99, Pb 105pp,
ISBN 9781908355461
Review by Chris Lavy, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

Failing his finals at the end of medical school was, in retrospect, God's opportunity for David Cranston to live with and be mentored by Dr Monty Barker in Bristol, and to spend time at Trinity Theological College with Dr Jim Packer and Rev Alec Motyer. Writing with forty years of reflection he says the rewards of that period and the influence on his Christian life of those mentors were profound.

In the NHS we talk a lot about mentorship. In my Trust we look at the best ways of transferring knowledge and experience from senior surgeons to trainees and new consultants. A large part of this comes in the close relationship of mentoring.

Like David Cranston, many of us can point to great men and women whose influence and mentoring has shaped us. In this short book David gives his understanding of mentoring, using examples from history, royalty, the Bible, and his own life. These are woven throughout the book and illustrate God's mentorship of him during his life as a surgeon and a Christian. The book is full of quotations. One of my favourites is spoken by the Queen Mother mentoring the newly crowned Elizabeth II. At lunch when the young queen is offered a second glass of wine her mother says: 'Are you sure you should have another my dear? Remember you have to reign this afternoon'.