B Books

Boyd & Silk do an excellent job of covering the broad expanse of human evolution. The examples, explanations, illustrations and periodic anecdotes are very well-organized and cogent. I especially enjoyed the coverage of opposing points of view and the pros/cons for each.
The one thing I was in disagreement over though was their inclusion of Koko as an example of how gorillas can be taught human language skills (in this case American Sign Language). It's been observed that at least some of what Koko appeared to be communicating via signing was the result of unconscious nonverbal prompting on the part of Francine Patterson, hence why many linguists are skeptical of using Koko as an example of animal use of ASL.
Besides that (which the authors may just simply have not known about) the book is INCREDIBLY well-researched and honest in it's examination of modern-day evolutionary theory. Highly recommended for anyone interested in evolution, biology or anthropology.

This textbook perfectly outlines each chapter. The author states the important points before going into depth. If you find yourself reading a textbook for class and having to re-read over and over again because you keep zoning out, this book really helps. I found it to be very interesting and a helpful study tool.

Presents material in an interesting, concise, and easy-to-read format - excellent choice for biological/physical anthropology students!

This is a textbook that I actually enjoyed reading from cover to cover. It is an excellent introduction to evolution, primatology, and anthropology. Highly recommended for either the undergrad or the layman.

This is a terrific introduction (a textbook) to human evolution. It is written in a very accessible fashion--not just students but those in the larger public interested in the mechanism and products of human evolution will find this a useful volume.

The first part, of course, focuses on the evolutionary process, with a nice introduction to adaptation by natural selection and to genetics. Other introductory chapters introduce readers to the nature of species, phylogeny, and the synthetic theory of evolution. The discussion is well written and understandable. There are many examples to illustrate key points.

The next section explores primate evolution and behavior, to provide context for understanding human evolution and behavior. The chapter on the evolution of primate social behavior is especially helpful. Next, the authors take a look at the evolutionary lineage of humans, from primates to early hominids, to the genus Homo, to Homo sapiens. The text goes on to examine how language evolved, as well as evolution in modern humans (e.g., genetic diversity, the human life cycle, human behavior, and mate choice and parenting).

All in all, a nice introduction to the study of human evolution. Well worth taking a look at. . . .

Thank you for writing the book Investing In The Dream.. My girlfriend insisted I read it and i am glad she did. Although I had some knowledge of investing your book made it so much clearer. I feel better able to prepare myself for retirement. THANK YOU!!!!! Denise M. Bagby

I read your Book and read your columns. The latest column "Financial decisions" featured in The Challenger Newspaper is great. I am a single mother, fulltime employee as well as a parttime college student; I definitely know first hand how expensive it is to raise children. Your book has made the difference.

Wuanda Figueroa

I waited for the book to come out in paper back. That was my first mistake. --what a shame on my part. However, thanks to The Miami Times newspaper where I see your column, I must say that I have been enlightened and inspired by your indispensible information.

Willie F. Ford, Jr.

I purchased your paperback version of the book,Investing in the Dream. This book has answered a prayer for me. I have thought of taking Financial Classes just to learn how to invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc...Thank to your wisdom and obedience to God for writing this book you have also answered my prayer. I am an investor but seek to invest more. Again, Thanks.

Debra D. Green

Have you ever been broke, busted and disgusted? Do you live paycheck to paycheck? If you answered yes, then INVESTING IN THE DREAM is the book for you.

Author Jesse B. Brown states, "prosperity has a spiritual basis - it is a divine right." He provides sound rationale as to how we can turn our negative financial situation into a positive one by developing an investment plan and making savvy financial decisions. Even if it is a small amount, the up front sacrifice will ultimately blossom into a financial blessing.

From stocks and bonds to everything in between, Brown not only provides insight into the mysteries of investing, but also reinforces his point by using real world examples. By following five simple steps, we can gain financial freedom according to Brown. These five steps are develop a long-term investment plan; max out tax-deferred retirement plan contributions; review investment goals on a regular basis; follow sound advice and hire a financial advisor to keep you on track.

All in all, INVESTING IN THE DREAM runs the gamut of financial advice. In addition to stocks, bonds and the tax-deferred investment vehicles, Brown also touches on credit card debt, debates about vehicle purchases and provides guidance on home purchases as well. The information in the book is presented simply, and in an easy-to-understand format. At times, Brown seems to be somewhat preachy, but there is no doubt that he knows the investment business. If you are seeking a new financial path, then INVESTING IN THE DREAM may be a book you'd like to consider.

Reviewed by Nedine
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I found this book is very useful for my buddhism study, the chapters are arranged in a very organized way. the contents are consise and accurate, it is like a notebook for most of the buddhism concepts and principles.

I really like it, and appreciate the English translation. it's great!

I tried to read Gunther's translation of Gampopa's classic, but was unable to relate to it. If it weren't for Ken McLeod's podcast of his Then And Now class (www.unfetteredmind.com/audio, then go to the Classes dropdown), this translation would fair no better with me. Ken's podcast classes are helping in my developing an experiential relationship with the subject matter. This book, although written in medieval Tibet, deals with the questions of human confusion and struggle that impact us today, and provide direction on freeing us of this confusion and struggle, especially when Ken's podcasts are used as a study guide.

This is a 1958 translation of a classic basic text for Tibetan Buddhist students. I have owned the text before and studied it. It is humbling to 'review' a classic.

This text presents the Mahayana approach with a few references to tantric elements. I use it to review ideas I need to refresh in my mind. The approach is to study the text, think about it and then meditate on what you have read. This is a source book for those persons beginning the approach to Tibetan Buddhism. I find it inexhaustible.

The author, Gampopa, was a disciple of Milarepa and Gampopa's disciples started one of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is one of the standard ways to study the path leading to tantra. It is best, of course, to have a teacher or spiritual friend, to use the standard term.

Most people I know are using to say "that's a hard time to live in". But they change nothing in their lifes, day after day, they weak up and do the same old things...I don't understand why.
Lord Gampopa, in his kindeness, show us a very effective way to review this unhappy situation. This book is a gift from the most elevate kind of intelligence the mankind alredy had made. But it's just for the braves, cause that's a kind of adventure.

I was introduced to this book 18 months ago as I began a four-year Marig Munsel class at Tashi Choling on Mount Ashland. It served as our introductory text, and I've read it cover to cover at least three times. It is most thorough and accessible. I appreciate how topics are introduced, defined, then illustrated with numerous clear examples. Glossary material and appendices are especially impressive. Often the text reads like religious or found poetry, which I find especially appealing and endearing. But my greatest compliment for this text is the simple acknowledgement that my personal spiritual practice took shape and deepened considerably as a result of reading and re-reading and referring to this text.

I highly recommend it for any serious-minded spiritual student, not just those interested in Tibetan Buddhism.

--Robert McDowell, author of the forthcoming Poetry In Spiritual Practice

I ordered the Junie B. books for my granddaughter. She loves them! I personally have never read them but I can let you know that at 6 years old and having this interest in reading speaks for itself.

Therefore, I recommend this series.

I bought the first, second and third boxed sets of Junie B Jones books for my granddaughter, who is 5. She can read them, but also likes for her mom to read them to her at night before she goes to sleep. They are funny, interesting and just a whole lot of fun for one so young!!

i purchased this set for my granddaughter. she loves this series and was thrilled to get this.

When my two granddaughters, ages 6 & 7, showed me how excited they were for these books, I was glad to get them for Christmas. Anybody that excited about reading made it a pleasure to buy them.

I bought this set for my granddaughter for Christmas and am already aware that she really enjoys these books. I imagine she will want any continuation of this series.

this is a very insightful philosophical/theological book dealing with the plight of humanity in relation to faith in God and the meaning of life. There are a few things herein that will no doubt be disagreed with by many readers, but the many deep insights otherwise are well worth it.

I honestly don't know what to say about this book. It's written by a prominent Christian philosopher, Thomas Morris, who draws on Pascal's Pensees to give an analysis of faith, reason and the human condition. The writing is clear and conversational, the topics are profound, and some sections -- such as the discussion of skepticism -- are gems of lucidity. But boiled down to its essentials, the Pascal/Morris argument goes like this:

-- People without faith in God are unhappy and wretched, and spend most of their time covering up and denying their unhappiness and wretchedness;

-- Therefore, God must exist, because believing in Him makes people happy, if only because it ensures that they'll be cared for in the afterlife;

-- In fact, God must be the Christian God, the father of Jesus and one of the Trinity, since hoary old "miracles" and "prophecies" attest to the authority of the Bible.

That's Pascal's argument in a nutshell. Really. It's that flimsy. All the focus is on knocking down atheism as an untenable way of life. Once that's accomplished, a fairly doctrinaire form of Christianity is treated as the natural default position. No consideration is given to other religious options -- even though most religious traditions can boast "miracles" and "prophecies" of their own. No consideration is given to the possibility of forging an atheistic life of courage and decency. Bad faith reigns supreme: Pascal appeals to Christians looking for practical reasons to keep up Christian practice even though they suspect Christianity is false.

I love the Pensees, but their elegant aphorisms and sharp insights can obscure the absurdity of the total argument. The same is true of Morris's book. It's a good reminder that Christian philosophers should keep their philosophy separate from their Christianity.

This is a great book, which takes diverse sources such as Pascal and Woody Allen and probes the reasons why most of us waste our lives on trifles and baubles, distracting ourselves from our mortality and avoiding life's big questions. The book is part fun, part serious as it makes Pascal's inquiries into human nature very readable. The Christian and nonChristian alike should enjoy this study of how people waste their lives and how they can find meaning. Two great companions to this book, though more secular, are Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning and Erich Fromm's The Art of Loving.

Tom Morris is a gifted writer and philosopher. This book amplifies Pascal in ways you may not have thought about before, and it clearly intriques the critical mind about the possibility of the Truth behind Christianity. The leap from mind to faith doesn't seem all that large after reading this enticing book.

Making Sense Of It All is one the best books I have ever read on the topic of Christian philosophy and apologetics. This book is unique both in its organization and content. Morris utilizes some of the scientific, philosophical, and apologetic statements of the great Christian thinker Blaise Pascal (from Pascal's book Pensees) and shows how faith in Jesus Christ is the unique answer to mankind's deepest yearnings for meaning, purpose, significance, and life eternal. This book skillfully and successfully answers many of the existential objections that people give for not believing. Morris weaves together many of Pascal's brilliant insights into a significant and powerful Christian apologetic work.

Though covering a lot philosophical and theological ground, this book is remarkably readable and at places quite humorous. It addresses philosophical, theological, and apologetic issues with tremendous clarity and in an engaging style. This volume provides deep insight into why people living in today's world avoid thinking about ultimate issues. I only wish the book contained a bibliography and/or notes for further reading.

Thomas V. Morris has been called one of Christianity's finest contemporary philosophers (former Notre Dame professor). This book is indeed evidence of his first rate philosophical ability.

I found this book well written, researched and presented. It is an academic work that reads easily and has application and relevance across many platforms including many that are not mentioned (e.g. health care). The examples are clearly presented. Like many books written along these topic lines, the examples are represented in iterative formats to draw out the specific issues. To many readers this may appear repetitive but it does enhance the understanding for those that wish to develop more depth.

Weick and Sutcliffe provide exceptional insights into high reliability organizations (HROs) and how lessons learned from HROs can be applied to other organizations that are not satisfied with just being good. The authors address the five hallmarks of mindfulness that distinguish HROs from all other organization types. The authors provide detailed checklists through which company leaders can audit and assess organizational readiness for dealing with unexpected events. The authors address the critical value of organizational culture in dealing with unexpected events and how organizational leaders can build the capacity to "manage mindfully". The text is well-documented and well-indexed. Each of the six chapters is summarized for rapid review; however, with ony 173 pages of substantive text, this "must read" can be completed in only a few hours. Knowledgeable leaders who are interested in creating resilient organizations should also read Ian Mitroff's "Crisis Leadership" (John Wiley & Sons) as an accompanying text.

This book is to be read by anyone really interested about how organizations work.

The main point could be explained in a single sentence: We can get valuable lessons if we pay attention to organizations who work in high risk and unpredictable environments.

This is my own view and, actually, I tried to show this using aviation as a kind of learning field. That is why I hope the authors will be lucky. My own experience was unsuccessful and that itself shows that the authors are right.

When I started to get conclusions from aviation to business management, I found that the more interested people came precisely from aviation. I'm afraid the authors could suffer the same experience and people interested in their concepts could come from air carriers, nuclear-powered plants and some other examples they use.

The authors could be three or four steps in advance of the present situation in business management. They try to extract the right lessons from other fields. However, they would not be surprised if their intent "bounces back" and it is picked-up precisely from the fields that they try to show as examples, not from business management.

In this well written, easy to read, analysis of organizations in highly complex and dangerous settings that persistently have less than their fair share of accidents - High Reliability Organizations - Professors Weick and Sutcliffe provide the recipe for a `learning organization'. Noting that HRO's share the hallmark of "mindfulness", the authors' define this characteristic as consisting of five key elements that every organization can use for dealing with the unexpected. The authors' call these five elements:
1. Preoccupation with failure - treating any failure (often small ones) as a symptom that something is wrong with the system, they are continually updating their understanding.
2. Reluctance to simplify interpretations - ensuring a more complete and nuanced picture, simplifying less and seeing more.
3. Sensitivity to operations - paying attention to relationships at the front line, where the work gets done.
4. Commitment to resilience - maintaining a deep knowledge of the technology, the system, one's coworkers, and one's self as avenues for improvising and keeping the system functioning.
5. Deference to expertise - cultivating diversity to do more with complexities, they push decisions down to the people with the most expertise, not the most rank. They also move issues around/across the system, migrating problems to someone with the knowledge and capabilities to address them.

Together, these elements give the organization `mindfulness', and this organizational mindset allows it to handle the unexpected with more responsibility and thus a higher probability of success in the face of change. Although the HRO's analyzed (aircraft carriers, nuclear power plants, and others) operate in more dangerous environments than the average business, today's rapidity of change causes the unexpected to happen to every organization and it would seem that the five elements of mindfulness could benefit nearly every organization today.
Dennis DeWilde, author of "The Performance Connection"

I was please with the writing of this book. Not only is it a good easy read, but Weick presents the material in an intersting fashion. SO far, it has been most helpful in understanding the components of managing a situation that is completely unexpected.

I picked this book up in the library because it looked moderately interesting and immediately fell in love. I have since purchased five more books in this series. If possible I would recommend a new reader begin with book one since it helps the story line and builds the characters but this is not required to understand any of the books. I have also re-read this book twice; something out of the ordinary for me. I am not going to go into detail regarding plot and story line since I hope you read it for yourself.

The SPQR series is by far my favorite Roman mystery series, and this is one of the best. Roberts is tops in bringing the details of Roman life into the story without swamping the reader with too much information; he expertly brings the ancient world convincingly to life, while telling a fast-paced whodunit.

In this novel, Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger travels to Gaul. While he solves the mystery that inevitably ensues, we are treated to a vivid description of life in a Roman military camp. I am not a fan of military history and generally find battle scenes and military details extremely boring, but Roberts make it fascinating. This is a rare example of a novel which can teach you something while entertaining you.

The SPQR series doesn't seem to have attracted as many readers as Steven Saylor and Lindsey Davis, and it's a shame, as Roberts is by far the best writer of the three. An ideal Roman mystery should tell a good tale while immersing you in the ancient world, and no one does this quite as brilliantly as John Maddox Roberts.

Oh how I love this series! I wish bookstores in Canada kept it on their shelves because I can't bear waiting for them when I order them from Amazon.ca (although Amazon is so prompt, they can't deliver within a minute)
This one has Decius Metellus at his best. He's told when he first arrives in camp, dusty and unshaven, that he should spruce up for the General, so he has Hermes shave and bathe him and goes into Caesar's tent wearing his full parade armor. Needless to say the laugh is on Metellus, since Caesar and his staff are in their informal duds.
But serious stuff is soon afoot. One of Caesar's confidents, his Primus Pilus Centurion no less, has been killed in no man's land - and not by the enemy, who are encamped too close for comfort. The accused murderer is a Metellus family client. Decius has two weeks to discover who really killed the centurion and why, or the young soldier will be executed and Decius and the Metellus family will be discredited - not a good thing for a man whose dad the senator, pro-consul, censor, etc. does not take kindly to sons and clients besmirching the family honour.

John Maddox Roberts is the pseudonym of Mark Ramsay, author of numerous works of science fiction and fantasy, in addition to his successful historical SPQR mystery series. He lives in New Mexico with his wife.

When the famous Julius Caesar arrived in Gaul, he announced "I Came, I Saw, I Conquered." When Decius Metellus arrives from Rome he that the conquered part at least, is very far from the truth, in fact the campaign seems to be stagnating.

Decius's arrival does little to placate Caesar's temper. The great general has been waiting form reinforcements promised to him. An intake of fresh blood to kick start the invasion again. Instead of that he has been sent one man ridiculously decked out in military parade frippery but very short on any military accomplishment. Decius is accompanied not by eager troops chomping at the bit to get at the enemy, but by one reluctant slave.

But of course trouble follows Decius like a bad smell and when Vinius, supposedly the most hated centurion in the army is found murdered Caesar remembers that his newest recruit has a reputation for solving mysteries.

The protagonist, Decius Caecilius Metellus, is a Senator of Rome and a newly arrived junior officer at Julius Caesar's camp at the beginning of Caesar's Gallic Wars. After a Centurion who is savagely disciplining turns up dead, Metellus must find the killers. Metellus' search is complicated by the fact that he is in a war zone with three armies massing for war, everyone thinks he is an incompetent boob, and his habit of making enemies of everyone. Metellus determine whether the assassins were Germans, Helvetii, legionaries, or Druids in a matter of days.

This book had a realism that I sometimes found missing in Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series (the other great series of late-Republican based historical mysteries) in that Roberts' Metellus is not so shockingly moralistic as Saylor's Gordianus could be.

I stayed up past 2am two nights in a row to finish this book, it was that good. I just put the rest of this series on my wishlist.

My kids both love Todd Parr's books--they love the kooky illustrations and they can recite the text by heart.

Todd Parr's colorful drawings and positive, imaginative text are some of my 2 1/2-year-old daughter's favorites. This one in particular cracks her up.

This book is absolutely wonderful. It's wonderful because the pictures are simple and really catch you eye with the bright colors. The message behind it is fantastic. Sure, some of the things are a little strange like putting fish in your hair, but there's a great message behind it that it's ok to not be like everyone else. What an important message to kids in todays society. I just love this book and would highly recommend it.

My kids love to read and laugh with this book. The pictures are fun and the colors are so bright. I am about to buy the 3rd copy, a board book would work better for my 2 year old. My 3 and 1/2 year old loves to prend to read to her brother. Fun for all. We also like Things that make you feel good and things that make you feel bad, it is great for play acting out the book.

In the "Okay Book," Todd Parr uses simple drawings with vibrant, primary colors to illustrate his supportive and educational messages for kids. The messages fall into 4 categories. We have the pro-self-esteem messages: "It's okay to be short," "it's okay to have freckles," "it's okay to wear glasses," "it's okay to wear what you like," "it's okay to have no hair," "it's okay to be skinny," "it's okay to be big." Second, we have emotional/behavioral themes: "it's okay to be scared," "it's okay to share," "it's okay to try new things," and, in a paraphrase of the great Rosie Grier, "it's okay to cry." Third, we also have the tolerance/broadmindedness messages: "it's okay to come from a different place" (illustrated with a martian in a UFO hovering outside Saturn), "it's okay to live in a small house," and "it's okay to be a different color." Finally, there is a fourth category of silly, cutesy messages which are sprinkled in to enhance the kid-friendliness and keep it from being too heavy-handed: "it's okay to wear two different socks," "it's okay to eat all the frosting off your birthday cake," "it's okay to hang out in the rain," "it's okay to sing out loud," and "it's okay to put a fish in your hair."

That last one troubles me. Every time I see it, I have a visceral reaction to that. In my mind, it is actually not okay to put fish in your hair. However, take that with a grain of salt. I have been criticized for missing to point of kids books in my reviews when I make comments like that. In fact, in response to my review of "Chimp and Zee," where I called for primatological correctness (Chimps are not monkeys and they don't have tails!), Mr. Anholt emailed me and said, in part, "I defend the importance of creative invention and I am rarely sloppy - I hope you are not being dogmatic or literal-minded in your judgement. (sic)" I should also note that the overall tone of Mr. Anholt's letter was very congenial and charming, and I do recommend his books.

The "Okay Book" is a very nice book, particularly for preschoolers. It delivers important messages of tolerance and acceptance but strikes enough of a balance between goofiness and preachiness to not feel like a lesson. It concludes well with a nice sendoff, "it's okay to dream big."

I've read quite a few of Jim's works over the years, and he has never failed to impress me. This book should be required reading for any project manager!

My initial pre-read perception of this book was that it was going to be just another perspective of agile methods. I was wrong. Coplien and Harrison have dissected development teams to identify the key criteria leading to successful efforts and high-performing teams. Beyond process, this book identifies the organizational structures required to make the processes work.

From an organizational perspective, roles and responsibilities within your development teams are a primary success criteria for your agile (or any other process) adoption. This book presents how and why key roles within your teams work and why teams without these key roles don't work. The way they have presented the material provides for a quick cross-reference when you are looking for solutions to help your teams.

Beyond the organization patterns themselves, I believe some of the richest material in this book is presented in the last few chapters as they present the history and importance of organizational structures, roles and responsibilities in applying process - "Process emerges from structure, and structure emerges from values". There is great value in this book beyond most software development process books.

As project managers, most of us who've been in the field working for a while come to realize that successful project teams are more the result of "good" ongoing social engineering of one sort or another rather than just dumping an almost randomly selected group of people together, coming up with an MS Project Plan and saying "do this" (the Death Star approach, all to common in large traditional process-driven IT shops). After this has happened to you, painfully, you begin to come to the realization that perhaps there's more to project management than the mechanistic "people are interchangeable resources" PMBOK-style approach.

If it hasn't already, it begins to dawn on you that the "soft" side of project management (client relationship building, communication within the team and between teams, team dynamics and team morale, motivation, empowerment, commitment, a human-style of project management) are as important or even more important than the technical work and the technical skills required. Most of us have run across teams with prima-donna's who think they're the cat's whiskers, be they project managers or technical personnel, who have the personal graces of a warthog and who are incredibly destructive to team morale and team performance. They continue to exist, sadly, and because they often deliver, albeit at the expense of everyone who works for them or with them, they continue to survive in "Death Star" style IT shops where delivery is all important and the style of successful delivery means nothing or is short-sightedly disregarded. OK, so that's my rant.

Now for the book. We've all seen successful projects and successful teams (or at least, I hope we all have). Some teams gell and perform way above the norm. What this book does is distil over 100 successfully applied organizational patterns of one sort or another from real projects in real software development groups. These patterns are broken down into logical groups (Project Management Patterns, Piecemeal Growth Patterns, Organizational Style Patterns & People and Code Patterns) which are dissected and explained, with examples provided. What the authors have done is to identify and describe key organizational patterns which are used by successful teams - not processes, but organizational structures of various types that are needed to make processes work successfully. A large amount of practical experience has gone into the content - over ten years of research experience from the authors alone.

I've read a lot of books on Agile, but this is the first I've come across that sets out organizational patterns - and does it so effectively that you'll wonder why all the stuff in here never occurred to you before. As you read through the book, you'll see patterns that will make sense, the kind of "ah-ha, that's what the problem is and this is how I can dom something about it" sense. You'll find this book useful in that the contents can be taken and applied right away. It's easy to pick what is most useful for your team, what can be applied immediately and what would be nice later on, once some of the basics are in place. The content is practical in that you can easily identify what your problems are and what pattern would help fix it, why the pattern is intended to fix it, and there's good advice on how to introduce new patterns.

With over 100 patterns, there are a lot, but they're set out concisely, a page or two to each pattern. There's no fluff, it's well-written, there's no appreciable bias, there's a lot of material, including some good coverage of the importance of effective organizational structures in applying process. As we all know, all the process in the world will not a great project team make. The book's structure is coherent and well-organized, the patterns described can be used individually or as groups and the authors give you some pretty good ideas as to what's immediately useful.

And the pictures all the way through the book are great! A nice humorous touch that helps make the point each time. Overall, I'd recommend this book very highly as a resource to anyone managing a project / team, whether Agile or not. There's a wealth of practical advice in here that any project manager could take and use, although the orientation is towards Agile Projects. An added bonus - unlike many technical books, this one won't date quickly - organizational patterns that work don't change much over the years, unlike programming languages. From a practical point of view, I've applied some of these patterns to teams I work with and the results have been positive - I've also shared the book with co-workers and they've all found it both illuminating and useful.

This book has to be The Grand Unifying Theory of Software with respect to managing the people and processes involved in software production.

To anyone who has worked in the software industry, this book is clearly the product of an enormous amount of practical experience in both management of people and projects as well as the development of software.

Coplien and Harrison have written a book which both the project manager and software engineer will understand and will immediately be able to apply to their respective work environments: This is because the book cunningly captures essential organisational concepts using a framework that is familiar to software engineers. Thus, the concepts will be by recognised by staff trained in business as well as those trained in software and systems.

I strongly feel that the material covered in this book can achieve a common communication basis between managers and engineers, and can help business developers understand the nature of their people and organisation.

If I could insist that all people in software read this book I would; but without the policing power, I can only highly recommend this book to those involved in all facets of software.

OK, I have to admit, this is the first book review I've ever written on Amazon and having read a lot of good books I should probably get off my a** and write more :-)

As a former developer and now a software development manager, I have come to realise that the "soft side" or sociology of software projects (communication with clients, communication with teammates, project management, team dynamics, cultural issues, morale, division of work, remote collaboration, etc) is considerably more complicated than the programming work itself.

Over time, you start to see patterns emerge such as "start a large project with a small experienced group and gradually phase people into a project as time goes on". This book does by far the best job of cataloguing and explaining dozens of these patterns related to (1) software project management (2) structuring, building and nurturing software project teams and (3) organization and division of development tasks to maximize the effectiveness of the team as a whole.

Highly recommended to anyone involved with software development at both the management level and in the trenches. Have fun!

Italy's Emilio Salgari might not have been a great writer, his prose was often clunky, but his books were fast and entertaining, and he was an antiimperialist at a time when the west was imperialist. Who else in the west in the 1880s sympathized with the natives of what would be later be known as the third world?. This was a period when the European powers were scrambling to acquire colonies by force throughout the world, regardless of what its native peoples thought about it. His most celebrated character is Sandokan, a malaysian "pirate" (today, he would have been called a terrorist) fighting against the British Empire in his homeland. His books never achieved any fame in the english speaking world, and given the indictment of the British Empire in many of his books, this is not difficult to explain. He was tremendously popular instead in Latin America throughout much of the 20th century. No wonder that Salgari was among Che Guevara's favourite authors.

I've pecked at the first three chapters using my dictionary. So far, I've read "Charlotte's Web" and the like in Spanish (with a dictionary), and this is a good level for me to learn more of the language.

The story is enjoyable so far. I've shared what I've read with my students, and several seemed interested in the book. It's not short on adventure, to be sure!

I had the pleasure to read Salgari's books since I was a 9 years old kid in spanish. I still remember the characters in the different series of books (I am now 40 !). I will never forget Sandokan and Yanez, The black corsair with her beloved Honorata or the series of the Damascus Lion and Captain Storm.

All Salgari books are recomended for kids from 5 to 95, if you have the chance to get them, there are more than 80 amazing adventures available (most of them very dificult to find).

Enjoy Salgari books, you won't have any regrete !

With Salgari the reader gets a mix of Verne and Dumas together. It is a shame that his titles are so difficult to find in English. Maybe because the "bad" guys are the British! Common get over it! These are just adventures of the best kind.

Storms, battles and twisted plots in mysterious Malasian islands that open kids eyes to the world. All before Internet and Satellite TV. With Salgari you travel around the world with a book, find the Taymir submarine adventures, superb!

Some day I will get the books from the Sandokan series I have not read.

As all the reviewers, it is a real shame that the readers that not speak spanish can't get all this series. I read all Sandokan series when I was a child and I had 8 years old, and I liked it so much at the grade that I re-read all the series again. The Sandokan books that I know was written by Emilio Salgari are:

Sandokan
The pirate's woman
The malasian pirates
The stranglers
The two rivals
The malasian tigers
The king of the sea
The Mompracem's reconquer
The fake bracman
The fall of an empire
In the indian jungles
The vengeance of Yañez

It is important to mention that between The King of the Sea and the Mompracem's reconquer there are other two books that talk about the reconquer of the former Sandokan's kingdom. These tales are named Sandokan and The Vegeance of Sandokan.

That is the reason of when we read the Reconquer of Mompracem we read that Sandokan is now a king of a Bornean kingdom.

I recommend highly this series and it will be one of my favorites all time.