Systems Books

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. Would it be just about Michael J Fox's life or would it center too much on his Parkinson's disease. I'm not usually big on reading celebrity autobiographies and memoirs.
This one is definitely worth reading! Mr. Fox shares his story with humor and humility and a wonderful honesty. He speaks honestly about his struggles with Parkinson's and trying to hide it in order to continue working. He also speaks honestly about his personal struggles with alcohol and depression. But the struggles don't dominate the book. There are many fun anecdotes about his years growing up in Canada and about the world of acting.
In the end, what made the biggest impression on me was his gratitude. Gratitude for the life he was able to have as an actor, for his family, and ultimately, even for the disease that changed his life.
This is a book that I would recommend for anyone who is interested in celebrity biographies. And I would especially recommend it for anyone who has Parkinson's disease or has a family member or friend who has this disease. When you have a disease such as this, it can be difficult to articulate to others just what it is you go through without sounding sorry for yourself.
Now when I need to explain this to someone, I can just hand them this book and say, "READ IT. NOW."
Thanks, Mr. Fox!!

Absolutely loved this book. I couldn't put this book down. I actually thought it might be a bit depressing but it wasn't. Michael J. Fox is such an inspiration. There are parts of this book that will make you laugh out loud. It is also a book I will read again and again.

It is humbling to read about someones journey back to reality. Michael had a huge career and was living his dream when he was diagnosed with Parkinsons and soon realized how much he had to be thankful about.

Michael J. Fox's memoir about his Parkinson's disease, his Canadian upbringing, HOllywood, Family Ties, and career success is quite dull at times. He has no pictures of him or his family or his career as well. He writes about his relationship with his wife, Tracy Pollan, who I learned to dislike reading about this book. Yes, she is a true New Yorker but she grew up on Park Avenue, went to private schools, vacationed in Martha's Vineyard, and her parents have a country home in Connecticut. I kind of was turned off by the New Yorker attitude in this book where they think they're better than Hollywood. Okay but in New York City, money rules the East and West Side and even downtown. I don't think New Yorkers are better than the Hollywood types. I give credit to HOllywood where they don't pretend to better culturally or intellectually as New York City does. Regardless, the Foxes have identical girl twins without even trying. Fox rarely talks much about his career or his interactions with fellow co-stars which is pretty sad, not even offending anybody. He writes very little about his co-stars and that's a shame because I would have liked to have known about his relationship with his Family ties co-stars as well as Spin City. I don't doubt that he's a nice guy, a loving father, and husband who is battling Parkinson's disease for almost 20 years.

Michael J. Fox, one of my favorite sitcom actors from the 90's, has written a poignant and inspirational memoir "Lucky Man". Indeed some may see this title as a very ironic choice for Fox because of his story. The actor recounts some major transitions in his life depicting the meteoric rise of his television and film career alongside his battle with Parkinson's disease. The actor takes us through his initial reaction of denial and avoidance when he first receives his diagnosis. Battling an escalating drinking habit, Fox begins to shift the priorities in his life from fame & fortune to developing more substantial relationships with his wife and children. Eventually he begins to view his medical diagnosis as a `lucky' opportunity to live a more fulfilling and enriched life.

In one of my favorite passages in Fox's book, the actor depicts his transformation from "struggling" with his Parkinson's diagnosis to eventual acceptance. He shares that he had the most difficult time dealing with his medical situation when he spent time thinking about the past, or worrying about the future. When he learned to enjoy each and every moment in the present, he was then able to move past his frustrations and reclaim his life. This made me think of one of my favorite inspirational books, Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment, by Ariel and Shya Kane. The Kanes' book is filled with inspirational narratives as they depict stories of their friends and family members who also achieve happiness and satisfaction by living and enjoying each moment of each day. The Kanes, like Mr. Fox, have discovered that a fulfilling, satisfying life may be attained by simply living in the moment, without harboring regret for the past or worrying about what may or may not happen tomorrow. I suggest that you pick up both of these books for some significant insights on how to embrace all of the "possibilities" in life.

This book will open your mind on how to launch a bew business or innovative product or server. However the authors could write this book in a more simple way and not with a hard to read english text.

Before reading the book, “The Ultimate Competitive Advantage” it seemed to me that most management books were written for “big” business problems. Most authors quote one case after the other to make their own case. A collection of postmortem reports of different companies to tell you how they failed.

This is the first book that has taught me however small a business may be, its success depends on competitive edge it creates with its own resources. There are numerous ways that even limited resources can create an added benefit for the customers and increase my business. The example of “free cold water” on an off beat road is one such method in the book to remember as a simple but brilliant solution to attract customers and add value for the customers. The authors give a set of tools to help one think in a different manner. I recommend this book especially to young person trying to get their business started and also those seeking to break out of dead end situations. A great work!

Mitchell and Coles have done businesses a tremendous service in writing this excellent book. They have done so by providing a practical toolbox of ideas with which to stimulate entrepreneurs, business leaders and managers to enhance and improve their business prospects in today's very competitive marketplaces.

I must admit to having struggled with this book for a long time. Not because of difficulty in reading and understanding. To be sure this is a very lucid and comprehensible book and is accessible to all levels from a twelve year old bringing out his lemonade stall for the third year in a row and adding iced tea to his product range to the CEO of a major corporation.

My struggle was with trying to make overarching sense of what lessons the authors were trying to encourage readers to learn. It became clear to me after several periods of reflection upon completion of the text. The crucial significance of this book in a practical way lies in understanding how deep into national economic systems the process of globalisation has seeped. We see the reults in our everyday lives, how quickly new or improved products come into the marketplace. We see how quickly established businesses change or die, we see cheaper and better products come from remote parts of the world leaving us a greater part of our disposable income to spend on the things we would prefer to spend on them.

It is clear that in life and not just in business the process of change has quickened and that as individuals we must be more adaptable and more attune to the world around us to the opportunities that exist. It is as if we need to become our own business in ourselves.

Mitchell and Coles focus on but one part of this continuous change and that is on the business model. Their strong focus on this area has great strength but we must also learn the broader lesson from their well researched work. To survive in today's world we must not only accept change but we must embrace it as people, as workers, as entrepreneurs. It is as Schumpeter pointed out inherent in the nature of capitalism. But, to be sure it is inherent in the nature of all life, as Hayek observed. We must change or die.

I would heartily recommend this book to everyone, for there is much to be gained from within it's pages. Mitchell and Coles have produced an excellent book which far and away exceeds it's remit as a business book.

The Ultimate Competitive Advantage is a gold mine with a rich vein of unusual ideas from Mitchell and Coles' nimble minds. Its stated purpose is to help readers develop and implement a superior management process for continuous business model improvement. The book goes ahead to do just that.

The authors' approach make deliberate what used to be an accidental, hapazard, uncertain and hard to repeat process.

This book, like Mitchell and Coles' others, is best used as a workbook. After each chapter, several questions are posed to stimulate your thinking, and 95% of the value of the book will be unlocked for you when you take the time to think through them rigorously. Serious entrepreneurs looking for fresh ideas for getting out of the rut and improving their businesses will.

This is a practical book, but it is not a "how-to-book" instead, it deals with the what, when and why; with such tangibles as pricing, cost of doing business and benefits to stakeholders. The authors- Donald Mitchell and Carol Coles researched and found out that unsuccessful companies doggedly apply outdated business models while the successful ones improve their models every 2 to 4 years. The book provides a straightforwad and a systematic method which any company can use to review and improve its business model basing on its key components: pricing, cost of doing business and benefits to its shareholders.

A very handy book - clearly lays out what each vaccine is, its ingredients, side effects, and what harm may come from not getting the vaccine. The modified vaccine schedule Dr. Sears offers is very helpful especially when discussing vaccines with the doctor - it's nice to be able to say, Here's what we're planning on doing and show the doctor the schedule. A must-read for any new parent.

I am SO glad we purchased (and read) this book before our baby arrived. The information is incredibly useful, and obviously very well-researched (both pros and cons of vaccinating with each available vaccine). He even compares the difference between the risk of the vaccine vs. the risk of the actual disease (back of book), which I found immensely useful. And, since he is a pediatrician himself, he provided a new, safer vaccination schedule which I plan on bringing to my pediatrician to modify as needed. Overall, a fantastically useful book that I would recommend to all new parents, and also to all pediatricians!

Dr. Sears explains the purpose and components of each vaccine. His alternative vaccination schedule is a great option for parents who are concerned about side effects on their children.

My daughter and her husband were agonizing over the vaccination question and were getting very stressed out by all the conflicting and provocative statements made by experts. This book was a great relief to them and took a weight off their shoulders. They are able to feel more confident and relaxed about the vaccination decision for their incredibly beautiful and advanced toddler (my granddaughter).

Everyone who reads this must lobby gov't to change the current vaccination schedule to Dr. Bob's! The discussion of controversial ingredients, especially Aluminum, was very enlightening. Thank you, Dr. Bob for doing all the work searching for creditable sources and explaining the researches that were done. After reading his book, any parent would feel much more confident and satisfied about all the confusion that's going.

I was in a book store and I was attracted to the title and the cover color. I picked up the book and read the jacket and I was hooked. I hardly ever buy non-technical books -especially non-fiction. But I was hooked after reading the jacket so I bought the book and assiduously read and enjoyed it. Also I am a Wharton alumnus. I also took classes with Len Lodish.

Eric Ericsson

The book spells out tips for starting a business (use credit cards instead of banks) and the mistakes the authors made along the way (when do you enter the market). You can even contact them after reading and talk to them about your ideas. The encouraging aspect of the book is that while they are starting their business, they spoke to their classmates who were making $200,000 on wall street and working for the dot-coms, but John and Kyle were not discouraged. I am happy that they were able to take an idea like a computer mouse shaped like a gold club and turn it into THEIR company. Congrats guys!

There is so much in this book that I can relate to, having started my own company around the same time in Silicon Valley (although in software). John and Kyle made the same mistakes that many entrepreneurs thankfully make - they followed their passion instead of their senses, and didn't buckle under the pressure and the unknown. One other valuable lesson from this book -- document your process. This is a great way to share your successes and your mistakes with others. I wish we had more stories like this when I was working on my MBA - something more than the dry, non-applicable case studies stuck in front of us. And John and Kyle also provided one other important gem: how to save a few bucks a month at the neighborhood gym. Thanks guys.

The Mousedriver Chronicles is the story of 2 Wharton MBA's who take a business plan developed on their entrepreneurship course at Wharton and decide to make a go of it. In 1999 they turn away high paying jobs at investment banks and over funded dot.com startups to go it alone.

Their idea: to make and sell a computer mouse that looks like the head of a golf driver.

They fund the venture themselves, find a manufacturer in Hong Kong, move to San Francisco (to be part of all the start up vibe in The Bay area) and run the business from the kitchen of their rented flat.

Their story is brilliantly relayed as they grapple with manufacturing, marketing and distribution hassles. The single product focus of their new company, named Platinum Concepts Inc., makes for a wonderful entrepreneurial story with excellent lessons about what it takes to succeed as a self funded start up. The two founders quickly learn that they need more than the theoretical knowledge acquired on their MBA at Wharton; they need to be street wise. They experiment with different mechanisms to make things happen and end up categorizing their execution strategies as follows:
Plan A: Make use of their business school network and contacts
Plan B: Hit the streets and the shops to find a creative solution
Plan C: Work the Yellow Pages

More often than not, plan B and C worked far better than plan A.

One of the founders, John Lusk, began sharing their entrepreneurial adventure with friends and family via a monthly email called "The Insider". The Insider was a real, often humorous, sometimes highly insightful newsletter about their adventure. The insider subscriber list grew and grew. MBA lecturers began distributing The Insider as prescribed reading. In 2001 Inc. Magazine featured a cover story on the company and its two founders. The Inc. cover story entitled "An American Start-up" focuses on the impact of The Insider e-mail newsletter. The email newsletters were used as the foundation for the book published in 2001 entitled The "Mousedriver Chronicles".
The company has since been shut down but the Mousedriver website still serves as a portal for entrepreneurs and copies of The Insider newsletter can be found in PDF format on the website: www.mousedriver.com

MouseDriver is about two guys who graduate from Wharton with MBAs in 1999 (the heart of the internet boom) and start a business manufacturing and selling a computer mouse that looks like the head of a driver golf club, turning down high paying jobs at dotcoms, investment banks, consulting firms etc.

As a small business consultant (Transcendence Consulting, LLC tcllc.net) I can tell you right now that if you are looking to start a busines, buy this book TODAY. It is an amazing look at the entire process of starting a business, from the ability to jump head first, manage yourself during
the highs and lows, deal with self doubt and solve an endless supply of problems. It is an easy read that will take you no time at all to complete.

This was a great book both for me and my team. I've been in the software industry for many years. I started building a team of developers and needed an easy way to bring novice and experienced programmers together on a similar set of standards. This book provided us with the perfect framework from which to start our team. We've developed several major projects using the principles in this book and have experienced a great deal of success.

One warning, the book gets a bit tedious after the first half. If you're looking to improve your C programming skills, it gets really detailed into pointers and other fun, or not, stuff. Also, the examples are in VB.NET...but you still get the point.

If you're an experienced software developer or a newbee in the world of commercial computer programming this book will give a good kick in the right direction. Steve McConnel will keep you hooked by mixing the right guiding concepts with real-life knowledge and examples.

I'm currently studying computer science and have been reading this in my spare time. Skip your lectures. Just read this book! If you want to construct software in a timely, efficient, and complete manner--this is the definitive book to read. Not dry at all, Steve McConnell covers topics for all experience levels. Even if you're an experienced programmer, you will learn something from this great piece of literature.

I've only gone through the first few chapters thus far. So pending finishing my reading, I'll update this review. Unfortunately this might never happen as I find myself re-reading portions of the book to pick up new ideas and details for software construction!

it's a book that all programmers must to read. it explain a lot of interesting things about how to made good software!

I started by reading the first edition of this book. I got the second edition when I was almost finished with the first edition of this book.

After getting the new version of the book I decided to continue reading the old one because I found that there are quite a few differences between the old and the new edition.

This is perhaps one of the best books that I have ever read on programming in my life. The author Steve McConnell has put together a book that is independent of what ever programming language that is used. In the authors words. He wanted to write a good book on software construction because he had looked around and had not found any good books out there on the subject. I would have to agree with him there are not a lot of books on good programming technic. There are hundreds of books on this programming language or that programming language.

Code complete is so good that I feel every programmer should read it. It would be best if in the first year of college every single student read the book. I just don't know how it could fit into a regular curriculum. Even if it does not fit that well into a regular curriculum what is taught in this book is probably more important then what most people learn at school.

I like the book and would advise it to anyone that programs.

I am looking forward to the new edition because the old book didn't have much advice about object oriented programming. Mostly because it was a new way of programming when the book was first written and he didn't want to commit much information to it when object oriented programming was so new. He does talk a little about things that are outdated but the book is still one of the best.

I will wait a while before I read the second edition but I expect to be as satisfied with it as I was this one.

Great book that should be in every programmers library.

I bought this book as an additional material to study for the CISA exam. However it didn't help me with the exam at all. Furthermore, in an attempt to cover many things, it did not cover anything in detail. This book is just an endless recollection of bullet points. On top of that, it misses very sensitive topics like disaster recovery planning.

This book has some material relevant to the CISA examination based on the 2003 content areas, although it is not organized or focused as a CISA examination guide. If you are looking for CISA review material for the test, I would strongly suggest to stick with ISACA's combination of review manual and questions CD. I also searched everywhere for study aids for this grueling test and ended up using ISACA's expensive material, but it proved to be the best choice as I passed the Dec 2006 test.

However, as owner of a copy of this book, I assure you that this is an excellent reference of IT management, planning, implementation, risk assessment and control procedures for anyone in the IT business. Most of the material is still relevant as of 2007.

Audit is not the most exciting topic in the world, but this no fluff book really sets the standard. The care the authors took is obvious from the start, the table of contents is one of the most detailed I have ever seen, it allows the book to be used as a reference.

My favorite chapter was Quality Management, best job of making quality approachable I have seen to date. My least favorite was Project Management, it seemed to lack the application and lean to theory a bit.

I am not an auditor, but as an auditee, this book really helped me understand how they think. Recommended!

Not having much experience in the IT audit field, this book was a great resource and was easy to understand.

This is a huge book but spends no more then 1 page on any topic. In my opinion the authors only have financial audit experience and little understanding of IT controls. This book shows the failure of the 'integrated auditor' as the authors are tyring to be IT auditors with little IT experience. They touch on some very good points in a few instances and, in general, the book is decent. The authors do not know much outside of the CISA, IIA and financial based certifications as they seem to think that the ISSA (Information Systems Security Assoc.) is sponsored by ISC2/CISSP's (it is not). Overall, I have not been impressed with this book.

Just as the majority of others,I give this book 5 stars. I have been using it almost daily for several years. True,I am a holistic practitioner,but I use it personally with and for my family. My husband actually got the book as his course text for a nutrition course in his Acupuncture graduate program. I have used it far more than he.
With beginners,or say,someone new to all of the 'type diagnosing',I usually recommend they look through the back glossary of foods,categorized by types such as legumes,veggies,fruits,etc. Pitchford breaks down the 'energies' of the foods so well,and gives a brief overview of how they are helpful,along with some basic recipes.
He also has sections on oils,sweeteners,greens/chlorophyll,etc.
I just don't see how anyone would be confused or find it contradictory,if you take it a little at a time,and don't attempt to 'diagnose yourself western style'. [this is the trick-it's not a how-to manual;it's a resource guide!]
You can learn the basics of what is important and why,which types of sweeteners to replace with what,etc.
What I love about this book,too,is his focus on assisting those who are transitioning from a more standard western diet. ie,he will discuss meat,fish and their healing properties,when they may be needed,when to avoid,how to transition from,etc.
This is not an 'all or none' preachy type of book.
Pitchford is sincere and obviously knowledgeable/experienced.
For all around great,useful books on health and nutrition,I really cannot think of any other that I'd recommend so highly. Accessible to beginners,but will still challenge/provide info for more experienced folks/practitioners.

If you are serious about getting healthy the natural way this is an encyclopedia of knowledge. GET IT!

You can't read this book in one sitting. It's massive. Best used as a reference book. A must for your library.

Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition
Very informative. Written so it can be easily understood. Has helped me understand my condition better and what I can do to help myself.

this is the most amazing health book I've ever read, it is like a bible for healing and/or balancing your life throught food and good habits.

This is more than a book to read - it's a thorough and carefully outlined textbook on a subject that I already knew a bit about -- but didn't realize how valuable the program Donna Eden explains could actually be to my health! Her knowledge of how the body's subtle internal systems really function is enlightening and much of it proves more applicable than the commonplace redundancy of most medical authors who follows the all-too-familiar traditional health paths. Her 5-minute daily routine alone is worth much more than the price of this creative book, and after learning these refreshing exercise as an intro you are captivated and immediately ready to delve into the volume's many other health-improving components.

It is great to be able to find a process for self-care that is easy and works - this is IT.

This is a wonderful book. It covers all areas of energy healing in a very user-friendly manner. I would reccommend this book to anyone who has an interest in non "western" alternitives to wellness and healing.

This is a really great book! Easy to understand and apply. Interesting to read, and it's an excellent reference book as well! I also have the Energy Kit that Donna Eden has out and recommend getting that too. The info in the kit is contained in this book, but there is a DVD included where you can actually see Donna Eden doing the energy work and it makes it much easier to know that you're doing things correctly, plus she is fun to watch. You also a booklet and cards that make it even easier to do the energy works, along with the pendulum. I have other pendulums, but this one has a string thru the top which makes it very easy to use to 'spin' over chakras and meridian points. It's not difficult to see that this energy stuff works because you can muscle/energy test and see the differences immediately. Highly recommend this book.

I have researched the subject of EMT and found that using double blind, objective studies proved that it is not effective and does not work. You will notice that all references used in this text and other books about this subject are doctors and others that participate in the marketing and profit by selling their books, tapes, DVD's, seminar, etc. You can get free information about EMT by doing a Google search which will cover most if not all that's in this book. I don't like to see people waste their money on stuff that is unproven. The materially didn't help me.

I absolutely LOVE this book. Dr. Sha teaches you how to heal yourself and others by using various chants, affirmation-like sayings, and by using various positions of your hands. He's a great writer and the techniques are easy to grasp and use in daily living. I recommend this book to everyone with an open-mind and desire to heal.

I have read this book and four of Master Sha's other books. I would say that it is a clever and eclectic marketing mix of new age, psychic and traditional qi gong techniques. The techniques for healing specific ailments seem to be congruent with similar healing techniques which fall under "energy work".

The leap of faith for me is ignoring the inconsistencies in his seemingly virtuous intentions. Some things just send up a red flag for me.

Has anybody noticed if you start with page nine of all eighty-some reviews that the majority of the reviewers have only reviewed Master Sha's books?

Has anybody noticed on Dr. Sha's website that he offers the services of "Karma Cleansing" for $1,000 and a Divine Protection Package for $1,200.

Has anybody noticed that most of the reviews for his books are regurgitated descriptions from the back cover or in the introduction of the book?

Has anybody noticed that out of eighty-some book reviews most are romantic reflections about the book's philosophy as if it were a novel instead of a how to get results book on self-healing?

Has anybody noticed that there are only approximately five reviewers out of eighty-some reviews that cite any reduction or elimination of specific, chronic, physical conditions?

I wrote a review called "Missing the Obvious" for another one of his books. In that review I made the honest observation that if Master Sha's soul healing methods work, and he includes specific techniques for healing the eyes, why does he wear glasses?

Since then, I looked for contact information on his website. I called the contact phone number and spoke with one of his representatives. The representative I spoke with assured me repeatedly that Dr. Sha does not wear glasses. I told the representative that I have five of Dr. Sha's books and in all his photographs in the books and often on the book covers, he was wearing glasses. As we spoke I was staring at the website's homepage where Dr. Sha is smiling with glasses on. The representative said, "Oh it's because, like many other healers and guru's, he's so busy taking care of others he hasn't taken the time to heal himself."

Is it just me? Since when have we become so gullible or so helplessly in need of a medical cure or warm hug that we'll believe anything we're told?

My intentions are not to take away any hope for any readers involved; however, I would like people to make an informed decision as to whether or not they want to invest their money, time and energy on the newest spin in snake oil, even if it does tout of being on the N.Y. Times Best Seller list or come recommended by another best selling author.

Dr. Sha's concept of healing the soul first, then the mind and body healing will follow will make tremendous sense to anyone who has done any serious level of self exploration and soul searching, and will be quite eye opening to anyone suffering from illnesses that western doctors cannot explain. Dr. Sha's style of combining prayer, meditation, positive intention, visual imagery, and energy healing is revolutionary.
The exercises he describes which I have I tried provided amazingly powerful results.

This book is a practicle guide to awakening happiness at the deepest level. Dr. Sha's beautiful and noble intentions radiate throughout it's pages. Practicing the teachings in this book has readied me to take on new challenges. Thank you, Master Sha.

from the other 1 star review:

Has anybody noticed if you start with page nine of all eighty-some reviews that the majority of the reviewers have only reviewed Master Sha's books?

Has anybody noticed on Dr. Sha's website that he offers the services of "Karma Cleansing" for $1,000 and a Divine Protection Package for $1,200.

Has anybody noticed that most of the reviews for his books are regurgitated descriptions from the back cover or in the introduction of the book?

Has anybody noticed that out of eighty-some book reviews most are romantic reflections about the book's philosophy as if it were a novel instead of a how to get results book on self-healing?

Has anybody noticed that there are only approximately five reviewers out of eighty-some reviews that cite any reduction or elimination of specific, chronic, physical conditions?

I wrote a review called "Missing the Obvious" for another one of his books. In that review I made the honest observation that if Master Sha's soul healing methods work, and he includes specific techniques for healing the eyes, why does he wear glasses?

OK ,,TO ELABORATE ON MISTER SHA.......I WALKED OUT ON HIS LECTURE..his students were doing healings and talking/channeling...it was unbearable..
as far as the book goes if the exercises help you GREAT,,....
but he seems to be a very slick businessman....

Thick Oracle book which is intended for developers who might need to understand the Oracle internals and administration parts besides writing SQL. It's useful for them working in other database also as the general database concept is simlar. Developers can now have more DBA knowledges after reading before on-going performing some DBA task.

Gr8 stuff for all the Oracle ppl.

A true masterpiece, and a great way to learn Oracle concepts. No more to say.

I have been an Oracle DBA for about six years and this book is still the one I turn to when looking for deeper insight into tough Oracle problems. The author recently published a new book on 9i and 10g and that one is also quite excellent. When it comes to analysis and clear writing style, no one can beat Tom Kyte for excellence. Highly recommended.

I bought this book on cheap clearance after the original publisher went out of business -- the best $12 I ever invested. Remembering even 10% of this book makes you better than 90% of Oracle developers, modelers and architects. Mr. Kyte's real world experience and reliance on solid examples instead of folklore makes this light-years ahead of any other Oracle book; it's the only Oracle book I re-read regularly. If you can afford only one Oracle book, this is it. And you may not need any other.