Rating: 

“Hey, I can understand this stuff now.” That’s a reoccurring thought when someone like me reads this book. Not only do the authors tell you what something IS, they tell you what it MEANS. After trying to get into other Java books with marginal success, I recognized that this book doesn’t just spout data at me, it truly tries to get useful information to stick to my brain. Since there is so much to java, the authors needed to feed me practical lessons in just the right cranium-sized chunks. When you look in this book you might think there’s too much information, but as you read it, you realize that most of the tidbits they give you are relevant to what you are reading. Any technical book that tries to be funny can over-do it, but I didn’t find too much excess in this work. It takes a chapter to get into the flow of the book, but its smooth sailing from there on out. The chapters are focused on practical areas of the language, with concise examples of code. The exercises make you think without giving you stress. The puzzles are a good diversion when you’re working through a section at 2am. Those of us that need a set of rules every once in a while will appreciate the “Bullet Points” I’m glad my boss found this book and suggested I give it a try. Thanks Boss, and thanks to the authors. This book actually helps me.

-Martin Turnley, member of the Utah Java Users Group