Review - Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade

Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade, by James Reston. Faber and Faber, 2002.

Saladin became the sultan of a mostly-united Muslim world (where Shia and Sunni were conflicting even then). The European side was dominated by Philip of France and Richard the Lion-Hearted of England. Many others are involved, including brief appearances by Eleanor (Richard's mother), John (his brother), and even Robin Hood. This was war, but politics certainly had its impact. The story is always interesting, though occasionally marred by flashbacks. Even 800 years later, we feel the echoes of this conflict.

The Product Manager's Handbook, by Linda Gorchels

The Product Manager's Handbook, by Linda Gorchels. McGraw-Hill, 2005.

This is a basic book on product management (an area which has a shortage of material). It talks about the role of product managers, planning, maintaining a portfolio, new products, pricing, and marketing. There are some checklists and sample plans to help although I don't see them as the main focus of the book. (For example, there's a handy checklist on trade show responsibilities.) Most of the examples are about consumer-type products, but software makes a limited appearance. An OK intro, but I'm looking for better.

Growing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests

Growing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests, by Steve Freeman and Nat Pryce, ISBN 0-321-50362-7

Freeman and Pryce explain Test-Driven Development through an extended example. (They have a somewhat different perspective than I do, with much heavier use of mock objects. I'm not sure what drives this difference; it may be due to type of application, philosophical reasons, or just something I should learn.) I love the clarity with which they tackle the problem of driving in from all the way outside, and how they don't shy away from dealing with concurrency and persistence. It's high praise for me to say a book deserves further study; this book is one I'll definitely be reading again. 

The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande

The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande. Metropolitan, 2009.

This book is an expansion of Gawande's interesting New Yorker article. It's an exploration of how the relatively simple idea of a checklist can be used to ensure that complicated things get done well. What works for pilots also works well for surgery. I thought the article was enough to get the idea, but the book was an interesting read for more depth.

Collapse, by Jared Diamond

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, by Jared Diamond. Penguin, 2005.
What makes a society fail? Diamond looks at a variety of societies, current and past, to explore this, with a framework of several factors, but especially focusing most on ecological ones.

When discussing modern societies (e.g., Montana, New Guinea), Diamond is able to speak from personal experience and from interviews. He highlights how people build up a certain conception of their society, and how hard that makes change. He also discusses the effects of absentee owners, corporate influence, and more.

Diamond covers a variety of older societies too, in varying levels of detail, including Greenland, Easter Island, the Anasazi, and others. I found Greenland interesting because he was able to contrast the experience of the Norse Greenlanders and the Intuit, and Easter Island because he gives a plausible explanation for "the mystery."

The writing draws on archaeology, biology, sociology, and more. By starting and ending with modern scenarios, it drew me in well: here's where we are in Montana, here's what happened to a variety of past societies, here are current issues. If you like a broad survey, that shows implications for today, you'll like this book.

Down & Out in the Magic Kingdom, by Cory Doctorow

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, by Cory Doctorow. Tor, 2003.

What happens when reputation is more important than money, when death is yesterday's problem? A group of people have decided to maintain Disney World. Is it better to change or stay the same? How far would you push the issue on either side? This is a fun bit of science fiction.

Mabinogion Tetralogy, by Evangeline Walton

Mabinogion Tetralogy, by Evangline Walton. Overlook. 2003.

This is an under-appreciated work of fantasy. It's based on the Mabinogion, a set of Celtic myths found in Welsh documents. The version I bought 25 years ago was in four separate volumes, but I've linked to a recent version with everything in one volume.

The Prince of Annwn tells of a prince who helps a mysterious Gray Man. A few years later, the druids blame him for troubles in the land, and he vows to take a wife. (Throughout these stories, you see interplay between old tribes and new tribes, men and women.)

The Children of Llyr starts with a time when people are starting to figure out how men are involved in procreation. Inheritance had passed down to one's sister's children, since you knew they were related. This is a story of brothers and the troubles between them that resulted in death and change.

The Song of Rhiannon ties the first two stories together, following the story of one of Llyr's children.

Finally, The Island of the Mighty tells of a sorceress who tried to control someone's destiny but found she could not.

If you enjoy fantasy, or would like to sample it without picking up something as intense as Tolkien, these are an excellent read.

Mythology, by Edith Hamilton

Mythology, by Edith Hamilton. Back Bay Books, 1998. 

Hamilton works through the basic myths, mostly from Greek and Roman sources. Topics include "The Gods, the Creation, and the Earliest Heroes", "Stories of Love and Adventure", "The Great Heroes before the Trojan War", "The Heroes of the Trojan War", "The Great Families of Mythology" (Atreus, Thebes, and Athens), and "The Less Important Myths". She closes with about 15 pages of Norse myths (just a taste). The stories are typically brief, easy reads in a fairly modern style. I was struck by how she describes the difference between different authors (though I'm not to the point of distinguishing them myself). 

The Dark Tower and Other Stories

The Dark Tower and Other Stories, by C.S. Lewis

If you want to complete your collection of C.S. Lewis fiction, this volume will do that. (Note that about 1/3 of it overlaps with the stories included in Of Other Worlds by the same publisher and editor). "The Dark Tower" is a partial story (about 70 pages) about a parallel universe; the characters overlap a little with the "Space Trilogy."

"The Man Born Blind" is a story of a man who is given sight and wants to understand light. "The Shoddy Lands" is a short study in perspective. "Ministering Angels" is about a trip to Mars (and reminds me of some of Isaac Asimov's humor pieces). "Forms of Things Unknown" is about a dangerous trip to the moon. "After 10 Years" is a partial story (about 20 pages), a followup to a Greek myth. 
In general, the science fiction is "just" a carrier to get us to places unknown rather than being integral to the story. The stories themselves are good (though sometimes rough), laced with myth in his trademark way.

Structured Systems Analysis: Tools and Techniques

Structured Systems Analysis: Tools and Techniques. Chris Gane and Trish Sarson. Prentice Hall, 1979.
This is one of the classic books on systems analysis: data flow diagrams, data dictionary, and so on appear. It does a decent job explaining these (though heavier on the tools than the techniques). The description of a data dictionary is one of the better ones I've seen. There's a nice distinction between system and organizational objectives. This is the earliest reference I've seen to the IRACIS model: that work is done because it will Increase Revenue, Avoid Costs, and/or Improve Service. Their explanation of decision tables is excellent. For those who trace the history of agile ideas, Gane and Sarson view systems development as following Boehm's spiral model: "In each case and at each level we build a skeleton, first logical and then physical, see how well the skeleton works, and then go back to put the flesh on the bones." (This is from 1979, and 30 years later we're still working on it.)