Seven Days of Possibilities: One Teacher, 24 Kids, and the Music That Changed Their Lives Forever

Book Description

The inspirational true story of one plucky young teacher, whose passion for her students transformed their lives--some for only seven days, others for a lifetime.

Johanna Grussner arrived in New York City starry-eyed. She was a young Finnish jazz singer looking for the big time. But it was hard to find steady gigs. Propelled by pluck, determination, and a smidgen of desperation, she obtained a job teaching music at P.S. 86, a public school in the Bronx. At first, it was just to pay the bills. But over the course of several years, Johanna formed an intense, transformative connection with her students. She helped turn them from tough, angry, street-smart city kids into a disciplined, technically proficient, soaringly beautiful gospel chorus.

Johanna came to identify so strongly with her students that she eventually took them to her hometown in rural Finland, to meet her family and friends, to perform in a gospel concert, and to show them what an alternate childhood-one of tiny schools, quiet classrooms, fresh air, wholesome meals, and endless music-could be like.

Seven Days of Possibilities offers an inside look at the politics, history, and complex personal relationships that govern one typical New York City public school. But more importantly, it is the story of how one person can make a difference against those odds, rising above corruption, indifference and regimentation with hope, music, and love.

Customer Reviews:

I don't agree..........2006-01-29

I read this book twice and I was extremely upset over the false accusations that I read. I have seen the dedication, devotion and love that the staff displays to the children. Also, as a mother, I send my child to this school because of the wonderful reputation that follows this school. Please note that the teachers work afterschool, Saturdays and even vacations so that the students have an opportunity to succeed in school. I find it totally inappropriate for someone who only saw a snapshot of the school and community to make all these assumptions without really seeeing what goes on. The children and parents of the community feel welcomed when they enter the building. They address the inner child not the outer with a paid vacation. I find it apalling to read all the criticism that the author and main character state about the school. You cannot compare the customs of one country with another. You can't use one vacation with the students as a basis for all the lies that were written. This book is poorly written.

From Finland's insularity to New York's multi-kulti chaos.......2004-10-18

I read this book with great interest after having lived eight months myself in Finland back in the mid-1980's. My own upbringing in San Francisco in the 60's/70's was only in the Catholic school system, which had a hodgepodge of first-generation European kids, mostly Irish, Italian, some French and Polish, but all with strong ethnic identities at home.

In Finland, poverty has haunted the people's memories for generations, going hundreds of years back under Swedish and Russian rule. The recent prosperity of the post-war years is a novelty for most, unless they were born in the 1970's and beyond. In this story, a girl from above-average priviledged rank in Aland, a Swedish-speaking (therefore, snobbier than the rest of Finland) island. Johanna grows up thinking herself better than others, and is heavily insulated from the rigors of life outside Aland, or outside Finland, good God. I disagree with Johanna's statement, through the journalist/narrator's words, that the Finns have a long-standing love of American black-sung blues. The Finns are much more lovers of classical music, their own mournful melodies and folk songs, and for dancing, there's always been the Finnish tango, waltz and polka, surplanted in the 50's by American rock. American Negro music was an underground taste, as it was in Russia, Germany, etc., due to its unsavory lyrics and lewd allusions. Young people in rebellion and city people in degenerate lives gravitated to it. The bulk of the Finnish population would have subconsciously spurned it, or found it an odd, interesting subculture from that big, fat, rich, white country over there, that USA, that land of immigration where Finnish ancestors fled from their poverty.

If Johanna set out to become a jazz blues singer, she was already setting herself apart from the bulk of the population. A girl of her standing would normally attend a nursing, teaching or medical school, and strive for status in the community through the standard channels of higher education. Diplomas and degrees mean a very, very, very great deal in Scandanavia. Even those graduates who don't find work commensurate with their diplomas, who in fact are unemployed for years, are held in high regard, regardless! In AMerica, such lazing about would indeed bring derision, all the more when the person had education.

I met many such young women in Finland, for they would gravitate naturally to me, a foreigner from wild and crazy San Francisco. Their fantasies about a free and easy life, far from the rigors of old-fashioned Finnish values and endless judgments, would run riot in their conversations with me. They would juggle anything, take any parental or governmental help they could, to spend years abroad away from the stifling, highly academic expectations of their families and communities. Those with money, such as Johanna with generous, tolerant and well-off parents, found their way to places like NYC to study music, even such socially approbrated sytles such as jazz singing. Those from her island would certainly think she is going through a young-years fling with foreign ideas, but that she would certainly come back when the economic crunch hit her after school years.

So sure enough, here is the book about her economic struggles. If anything this story could be said to be, from Johanna's pooint of view, it was 1. to escape Aland and Finnish restrictions; and 2. to earn enough abroad to avoid going home. Her signing up for teaching a bunch of kids from the lower classes was just a fling, a slumming. She knew her parents would be able to take her back in a flash and pay all her medical bills. She was subsisting on that teacher's salary, knowing well she was no more fit to survive in the NYC than these minorities stuck in the Bronx on low wages.

In Finland, with a quiet village school, and a strict, homogenous school culture, the children naturally are obedient and diligent. They are not in need of constant berating, since the whole of Scandanavia raises their children to be quiet, self-effacing, and considerate of others. Meanwhile, back in the Bronx, no matter what infusion of money, teachers, materials and high-minded dreams like Johanna, no matter how many free lunches, new playgrounds, sports uniforms or new buildings, the children themselves cannot succeed because their parents come from anti-intellectual cultures. Their parents value pleasure in the moment, workaday jobs immediately after high school graduation. They're not interested in their children's long-pleasure-deferring climb through university and professional schools. Especially girls are expected to fall straight into sex-related disasters, namely pregnancy, possibly prostitution. These cultures are more primitive and much more lenient. AS the narrator insists, the parents love their children and would give them anything in their power to help them.

However, what do the Bronx Latino and Black parents want to give their children? Discipline, academics and a strong respect for academics and career? Or do they want to give them pleasures of the moment, new clothes, and rollercoaster-type thrills?

There is a reason that Scandanavian children, regardless of relative income status, do well in the world. They were for generations poor, but very hard-working, serious-minded, religious in a Protestant direction, and respectful of others. They believe in SISU, the Finnish word meaning "endurance", not buckling in to obstacles. A Finn is not raised to think that, because his job pays low wages when he is young, that he should turn to drug dealing so he can get the car, the chicks and other thrills unavailable to low income people. Have a look around the USA: do Scandanavian children of last generation fall into such despicable lifestyles? NO, the parents would never allow it, even if they can only afford one pair of shoes for the kid.

If anything this book will illustrate to a reader, it is the great contrast in culture between Finland and the lower-class New Yorkers from the black and Latino cultures. The actual income is not the point, so much as the total disregard for academics and self-control that these cultures breed in children.

IT may be a curse to be born black in America, as it was a curse to be a Finn under the Swedes for generations, but the amount of violence and self-destruction amongst the blacks is clearly not just the doing of others in the USA, themselves immigrants from Europe.

Johanna Grussner, semi-idealistic Finnish singer, knew well that it is not a question what she brings from her Protestant and strict country. If the children themselves go home each night to a lowbrow, victimologized home culture (let's not even bring up the lack of fathers in the houses, since that's just part of the self-desctructive black and Latin culture), no amount of exposure to higher values and self-discipline for a few hours of school time will help them.

Amusing book!!! I would say that Johanna's quest to inject black American values into her home country through its "poor ol' me" spirituals may backfire if her own children think of themselves as victims in the next generation. When they refuse to study, rebel, get pregnant, take drugs and kill each other, because they think that it is the only way to "deal with life", God help Scandanavia, contaminated in such a way.

MASTER THE POSSIBILITIES..........2004-10-10

This is an exceptionally well-written work of non-fiction. The author, a noted columnist and reporter for the New York Times, distinguishes herself further with this book, which is her first. Writing with all the assurance and polish of a first class investigative reporter, the author, having covered education for five years for the New York Times, is in her element with the subject matter of this book.

The book focuses on Johanna Grussner, a young Finnish woman, whose love for music took her from her native Aland Islands, an archipelago in the Baltic Sea located between the coasts of Finland and Sweden, to the United States, ultimately landing her in New York City. While furthering her quest to become a professional jazz singer, happenstance found her working as a music teacher in the Bronx at P.S. 86. There, in an inner city school that was run like a tight ship by its principal, a man who cared deeply for the school in his own rigid, uncompromising way, she was to defy all odds and make an impact that many will remember for years to come.

Ms. Grussner would demonstrate to all what a determined, though idealistic, person can do to bring joy into the lives of children who may have their options for such limited by their own personal circumstances, as well as by a society that looks to pigeonhole students as if one size does, indeed, fit all. The author grounds Ms. Grussner's efforts to form a school choir in the context of the political and racial milieu of the New York City public school system, replete with all the political chicanery and requisite skullduggery involved in the running of a school in such an environment.

The author's narrative is seamless and unsentimental, letting the strength of the story itself soar, rewarding the reader with a richness of detail about the school and those involved in its day to day activities. She provides the reader with three dimensional portraits of those who contributed to the seven days of possibilities, whereby twenty-four of Ms. Grussner's most musically gifted students traveled with her to her hometown in order to perform in a gospel concert. There, they discover that music is a universal language, and the week spent in the Aland Islands would be one that would long linger in their collective memories.

This is truly an excellent book, beautifully written and immensely readable. It is a book that will keep the reader turning its pages until the very last one is turned. Bravo!

A Pleasurable Surprise.......2004-07-15

I approached this book with some trepedation, worried that it might be just another pat, feel-good story. What a surprise and pleasure to find myself immersed in an enaging, memorable read, filled with characters who came alive and stayed with me. It was also a carefully wraught cautionary tale of all that's not right (and a bit that is) in inner-city public schools. I've since recommended it to friends and colleagues, all of whom have shared my enthusiasm.

An Incredible Story--and much more.......2004-07-05

In this beautifully written and very moving book, Ms. Hartocollis not only tells the story of a young woman from Finland who, through her character, talent, and personality affected many children--and others--in a short time; she also, with a talent that many novelists would envy, captures inexorable human conflicts that, despite good instincts, can poison even the closest relationships. Anyone who cares about education, anyone who wants to be a teacher, and most of all, anyone who's looking for a great story about the most interesting people in the world--real people--should not miss this book.

Book Description

Television, John Ellis argues, responds to two powerful desires of our age: it makes us witnesses to often traumatic events and it tries--and fails--to provide us with narratives that make sense of the world. In Seeing Things, Ellis makes sense of modern television, both by exploring its processes and in terms of its dynamic relationships with the cultures that provide it with raw material. Television, he proposes, gives us many different ways to understand the world but does not arbitrate between them. He explores this process as one of "working through," whereby television news takes in the chaos and conflict of the world and subsequent programs offer diverse ways of unraveling its confusions, from the psycho-babble of talk shows to the open narratives of soaps, documentaries and dramas. By means of this working through, problems are exhausted rather than resolved.

Customer Reviews:

Channel Surfing.......2003-05-14

I found this book to be rather interesting and fresh look at the war and the TV coverage. It is also interesting given the current events in the Gulf. Reading a book like this you really get a good feel for how countries look after themselves in international affairs. The book takes a bit of a dissenting look at the war with a cautious eye at the news media. Basically the author does not have a lot of good things to say about President Bush and his administration. There are some conspiracy theories floated in the book, but not enough to make the document fall into the "unbelievable rant" category.

The overriding direction the book takes is the argument that instead of debating the issues of public concern surrounding the war, the mainstream media uncritically promoted the policies of the Bush administration and military. The author goes on to try and prove that the media was managed by the US government in one of the best-managed media propaganda campaigns in history. The author certainly believed this theory; it was just that I as the reader was not convinced that there was the large conspiracy.

It just seamed to me that the issues the author highlighted could also be explained as the media needing to fill 24 hours a day of breaking news so they grasp at anything they can get. Also the claims he makes that the new outlets were in the Bush back pockets because they were so excited to be at war, I came away thinking it was just natural to be excited when reporting about such issues as a war. The one complaint I do have is the authors almost debilitating hatred for all things large and bureaucratic, he dislikes the government and big media. The problem is that it tended to shade his writing and I found myself skipping past some of the nastier comments or sections. This took away from what otherwise was an interesting and unique look at the war and the TV coverage it received.

Recommended - especially timely with Iraqi War.......2003-04-16

I found this book on my girlfriend's bookshelf (she had it for a class at UT while in undergrad), and I really enjoyed it and have recommended it to many people. Kellner brings a lot of interesting footage from the first Persian Gulf War to light and puts it in historical context. I read it before the start of the war in Iraq, and felt much more educated and objective when watching the countless hours of footage from all the major news networks. Kellner accurately questions the objectivity of our news sources, news anchors, and the media conglomerates that own them. Any person serious about perserving a democracy in which the public is accurately informed should give it a read.

Great discussion of media coverage during the Gulf War........1999-04-27

This book is an important contribution to the clearer comprehension of media coverage of a major US foreign intervention. Douglas Kellner has unearthed some rather ugly truths that make democracy and freedom of the press appear mere illusions. Kellner analyzes "official" media presentations and compares them to more reliable sources, producing a nuanced treatment of US imperialism in the Persian Gulf. An excellent source for critical perspective and analysis, Kellner consistently poses the important questions pressing politicians and policy-makers for answers.

Kellner leaves the reader to continue questioning fundamental issues regarding foreign policy and how our blind acceptance of the professed goals further the power of our interventionist state. I highly recommend any of Douglas Kellner's books.

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A Rare Holiday Gift !

Holiday cheer with a twist!

A Christmas Visitor
David Saperstein , and George Samerjan
Manufacturer: Kensington
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Movie Tie-Ins | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0758208901

Customer Reviews:

A Rare Holiday Gift !.......2006-12-06

I read this one on a flight from LA to DC, an easy read that captivates you from beginning to end. I was quite surprised when I came to this page to write my review, that only one other reviewer had anything to say about this title. The story is full of what you expect from a Christmas story. It centers around a family who has suffered the loss of a son in the Gulf War some thirteen years ago and they have not celebrated the holiday since. Their daughter is now sick with cancer and is going through a divorce. The father of the family wants to celebrate the holiday again as he is determined to end the family's pain over the loss of their son. Ultimately, the visitor who comes to the family home on Christmas Eve changes so much for this family. It is a wonderful story and I enjoyed it a great deal. Treat yourself to this one, you'll be completely glad that you did. A great book to cozy up with in front of the fireplace and near your Christmas tree.

Holiday cheer with a twist!.......2005-11-23

This book was thoroughly enjoyable to read. Addressing the sentiment surrounding the loss of a loved one due to military service, the author weaves the lives of different characters that were related to the Deceased in some way into a passionate story of hope and peril, and ultimately, redemption.

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You've seen the good movie -- now read the excellent novel

Courage under Fire
Sheane Duncan
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1572971835

Customer Reviews:

You've seen the good movie -- now read the excellent novel.......2002-01-05

Mr. Duncan captures the military world perfectly... from squad level all the way up through the political ether-zone that is the brass-filled Pentagon. The dialogue, especially the banter between common soldiers, is realistic and enjoyable to read. The chilling descriptions of the barren Desert Storm environment -- the land, the battles -- are dead-on accurate. I know... I was there with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force! I highly recommend this book, and I'd love to see more work from Mr. Duncan in the future.

Patriot games: what did we see on Desert Storm TV? (equivocal success of Patriot missiles): An article from: Columbia Journalism Review

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Patriot games: what did we see on Desert Storm TV? (equivocal success of Patriot missiles): An article from: Columbia Journalism Review
Jennifer Weeks
Manufacturer: Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Columbia Journalism Review, published by Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism on July 1, 1992. The length of the article is 1156 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: The Patriot missile came to sight as an unqualified success for viewers of television coverage of the Persian Gulf War. That supposed success has been enlisted in the political battle for increased funding of missile defense systems included in the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). While estimates of the missile's effectiveness have now been challenged and drastically reduced, the perception of the missile's overwhelming success created by television images persists. That perception is being counted on by partisans of an increased SDI budget.

Citation Details
Title: Patriot games: what did we see on Desert Storm TV? (equivocal success of Patriot missiles)
Author: Jennifer Weeks
Publication: Columbia Journalism Review (Refereed)
Date: July 1, 1992
Publisher: Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism
Volume: v31 Issue: n2 Page: p13(2)

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The Persian Gulf TV War.: An article from: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

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The Persian Gulf TV War.: An article from: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Daniel C. Hallin
Manufacturer: Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, published by Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc. on September 1, 1993. The length of the article is 1740 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Persian Gulf TV War.
Author: Daniel C. Hallin
Publication: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 1993
Publisher: Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc.
Volume: v49 Issue: n7 Page: p52(3)

Article Type: Book Review

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TV's talking headaches. (misuse of experts by television news) (includes profiles of three experts): An article from: Columbia Journalism Review

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TV's talking headaches. (misuse of experts by television news) (includes profiles of three experts): An article from: Columbia Journalism Review
Janet Steele
Manufacturer: Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00091YQKU
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Columbia Journalism Review, published by Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism on July 1, 1992. The length of the article is 3358 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: The television networks often turn to experts to render opinions on the news. This can add depth and insight to a newscast, but too often the loyalties and biases of an expert are not forthrightly presented. The resultant illusion of neutrality can deceive viewers in important ways. Several experts consulted during the Persian Gulf War, for example, had close ties to arms makers or political advocacy groups.

Citation Details
Title: TV's talking headaches. (misuse of experts by television news) (includes profiles of three experts)
Author: Janet Steele
Publication: Columbia Journalism Review (Refereed)
Date: July 1, 1992
Publisher: Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism
Volume: v31 Issue: n2 Page: p49(4)

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First book for anyone learning to create business software

Review of Applying UML and Patterns: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design and Iterative Development (3rd Editi

The single best book for your OO development team

Excellent Work!

Excellent guide!

Applying UML and Patterns: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design and the Unified Process (2nd Edition)
Craig Larman
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall PTR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Object-Oriented Design | Software Design, Testing & Engineering | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
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UML Distilled: A Brief Guide to the Standard Object Modeling Language (3rd Edition) (The Addison-Wesley Object Technology Series)

Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)

Head First Design Patterns (Head First)

Agile and Iterative Development: A Manager's Guide

Writing Effective Use Cases

ASIN: 0130925691

Amazon.com

Good software starts with a good design, and the subtitle of Applying UML and Patterns, "An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (OOA/D) and the Unified Process" reinforces that that's what this book is about.

The first edition of Applying UML and Patterns became a standard. The second edition uses the unified process (UP) as the iterative process within which OOA/D is introduced, and extends the case study used in the first edition. Other changes have been made to reflect the growing consensus on the most effective ways to work with OOA/D and patterns.

Although you will learn UML, this isn't what Applying UML and Patterns is all about. It's designed to teach you to think of software as a collection of objects with properties and to manipulate the relationships between them. This is far more profound.

The case study enables Craig Larman to carry the design through to Java code. In practice, you will need a basic understanding of OO programming to benefit from Applying UML and Patterns, though you needn't know Java--you can implement the designs in the OO language of your choice with equal facility.

When it comes right down to it, Applying UML and Patterns is all about providing you with a language in which to think about software design. This is quite different from learning a language in which to code a design.

A facility with OOA/D will enable you to design and discuss programs independent of code, to produce more elegant and maintainable software, and to take a 30,000-foot view of the way your software interacts with the world. In effect, it can shift your viewpoint from that of a mechanic to that more sophisticated viewpoint of an engineer. Recommended. --Steve Patient. Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

“People often ask me which is the best book to introduce them to the world of OO design. Ever since I came across it, `Applying UML and Patterns' has been my unreserved choice.” —Martin Fowler, author, “UML Distilled” and “Refactoring”

The first edition of “Applying UML and Patterns: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design” quickly emerged as the leading OOA/D introduction; translated to many languages and adopted in universities and businesses worldwide. In this second edition, well-known object technology and iterative methods leader Craig Larman refines and expands this text for developers and students new to OOA/D, the UML, patterns, use cases, iterative development, and related topics.

The book helps newcomers to OOA/D learn how to “think in objects” by presenting three iterations of a single, cohesive case study, incrementally introducing the requirements and OOA/D activities, principles, and patterns that are most critical to success. It introduces the most frequently used UML diagramming notation, while emphasizing that OOA/D is much more than knowing UML notation. All case study iterations and skills are presented in the context of an “agile” version of the Unified Process -- a popular, modern iterative approach to software development. Throughout, Larman presents the topics in a fashion designed for learning and comprehension.

Among the topics introduced in Applying UML and Patterns are: * requirements and use cases, * domain object modeling, * core UML, * designing objects with responsibilities, * “Gang of Four” and other design patterns, * mapping designs to code (using Java as an example), * layered architectures, * architectural analysis, * package design, * iterative development, * the Unified Process.Foreword by Philippe Kruchten, the lead architect of the Rational Unified Process.

“Too few people have a knack for explaining things. Fewer still have a handle on software analysis and design. Craig Larman has both.” —John Vlissides, author, “Design Patterns” and “Pattern Hatching”

“This edition contains Larman's usual accurate and thoughtful writing. It is a very good book made even better.” —Alistair Cockburn, author, “Writing Effective Use Cases” and “Surviving OO Projects”

Customer Reviews:

First book for anyone learning to create business software.......2007-08-11

Craig Larman's classic has reach 10 years of prime position on my professional book shelf, the 1st edition now replaced with the 3rd. Whenever anyone asks for an introduction to UML, this is always my first recommendation. Though the book focusses on software construction from scratch, it still contains much brilliant guidance for enhancement work or implementation of software packages.

This book takes you in a logical, distilled process through pragmatic application of Unified Modelling Language on real projects for which people pay. Of course the examples are simple, but relevant and helpful. The book is chock full of diagrams and little text, which makes it quick to read and easy for reference.

You could do little wrong if you used only this book to guide your first application of UML to a real project.

Review of Applying UML and Patterns: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design and Iterative Development (3rd Editi.......2007-07-19

I have 30 years in the industry (and in different industries in IS management) and one thing I dislike is the author's persistence do down-grade the waterfall or modified waterfall models. He should be more objective on his comments since the waterfall and modified waterfall do have their merits on projects -- refer to "Rapid Development, Training Wild Software Schedules" by Steve McConnell, Microsoft Press, ISBN 1-55615-900-5. I have used them very successfully on big programs. The key here is, with any model, in order to be successful you need quality communications with ALL stakeholders. Just like in our personal life's, communications is everything; the models can be secondary.

The author should also strictly follow the attributes of writing good requirements. On page 72, he wrote for "frequency of occurrence", "Could be nearly continuous". Now, I ask, how ambiguous is that????

The single best book for your OO development team.......2007-07-06

As others have pointed out, the content on OO analysis and design is excellent. Equally important - Larman's book is also an excellent on "process".

Unlike many books that simply focus only on "programming", Larman gives you a working examples and excellent advice on overlapping fields like "requirements", "testing", "architecture" and "project management".

Craig Larman's "Applying UML and Patterns, 3rd Ed" is a wealth of practical advise, covering *all* significant aspects of successfully defining and implementing a non-trivial software project. If your team were to choose only one book as your "Bible" - this would be that book.

Excellent Work!.......2007-04-23

As pointed out by many, this book is a very nice introduction to Object Oriented Analysis and Design. The author's explanations were very clear. This book covers agile practices, UML, many patterns including Gang of Four (GoF), and software architecture. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. From an industry standpoint as well as an academic standpoint, I believe this book does an excellent job. This book will be part of my library for a long time to come. Highly recommended.

Excellent guide!.......2006-11-10

Well, I think this book should be a must read for any pro or beginer in the software design/build area, it takes you from the start trying to make you understand what your client want you to understand, until the best practices to have patterns, tests, and a good team development, so do not hesitate to buy it!.

Applying UML and Patterns: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design and the Unified Process (2nd Edition)(Softcover)

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Applying UML and Patterns: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design and the Unified Process (2nd Edition)(Softcover)

Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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