Originally posted by Bert Bates:
[publisher's note] what DID he mean, not for everybody? [/publisher's note]
OK, actually, Head First books ARE for everybody, YEAH!
I'm just going to have to disagree with my co-author here... Head First books are for *anybody with a credit card*.
OK, just kidding. Thomas is right. Head First books have a very strong style. While the learning theories apply to everyone, our particular implementation does not. For example, the format is geared for a younger audience (although Bert and I are, ahem, a bit older than our target audience...), in both layout (more of an MTV approach than a traditional text book approach), and in tone (not taking ourselves too seriously, a little cynical even while being ridiculously positive).
There are people for whom the visual style is too distracting or frantic. The younger brain is wired differently from the older brain, not because of age, but because of "era". Those raised on Sesame Street and MTV and the ultra-fast cuts of today's movies and even commercials, are able to -- and usually prefer -- a more lively visual style. Older brains raised on visual media which was far more static have not been wired for processing material and might just say, "Whoa! Quick -- close it before my brain explodes!" And that certainly woldn't be a fun experience.
Now, that doesn't mean that it just falls along age lines... some people (regardless of age) just prefer a more visual approach, and are parallel processors -- able to jump back and forth between different representations of the information rather than following a single flow of text.
Also, some people won't like the book simply because they want things to be more *serious*. We're serious about Java, but this approach dictates that the topic be as lively and festive as possible, so some people perceive that this means we're simply not taking the topic seriously enough. We'd argue with that conclusion! But, it's a matter of personal preference.
And Thomas has made a point in other posts that while the book might make a great *recommendation* to students who want to have this to help them grasp some of the concepts in a more accessible way, it isn't something that *any* teacher could use as their required text. Some university and high school teachers do use it as a required text, but only those for whom the style matches the way they teach. And for that, they probably need to be just a little nuts
We think a teacher who wants to be cool should teach from a text book but have a Head First Java book lying around... maybe make some handouts or give out the exercises from it for fun breaks that reinforce the concepts
And of course if it's Thomas, he can have the
EJB book casually lying open to page 451...
cheers,
Kathy
p.s. thanks Thomas!!