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Rating: 
Summary: A good 2nd XP book, but lacks advanced content
Review: I'm a big fan of eXtreme Programming. I've read XP Installed (the first XP book I read), XP Explained (the first XP book), and Planning XP. I must say I was a big disappointed in this book. Here's the problem: This book doesn't explain XP in enough detail to be useful as a first XP book. But at the same time it does try to explain XP concepts which are already known to anyone who's read one of the XP intro books (Installed or Explained), making it too basic for someone who's been using XP. That leaves this book some where in the middle, with a little bit of introductory material and a little bit of advanced material. I think it's a good second book on XP (read XP Installed first), but if you've been using XP (especially refactoring and test driven development) then this book isn't going to be very helpful for you. Also the book is pretty thin and quite expensive for the small amount of content it contains. In my opinion you'd be better off buying Fowler's Refactoring book and downloading the JUnit docs, and reading Jeffries' XP Installed.
Rating:
Summary: A good 2nd XP book, but lacks advanced content
Review: I'm a big fan of eXtreme Programming. I've read XP Installed (the first XP book I read), XP Explained (the first XP book), and Planning XP. I must say I was a big disappointed in this book. Here's the problem: This book doesn't explain XP in enough detail to be useful as a first XP book. But at the same time it does try to explain XP concepts which are already known to anyone who's read one of the XP intro books (Installed or Explained), making it too basic for someone who's been using XP. That leaves this book some where in the middle, with a little bit of introductory material and a little bit of advanced material. I think it's a good second book on XP (read XP Installed first), but if you've been using XP (especially refactoring and test driven development) then this book isn't going to be very helpful for you. Also the book is pretty thin and quite expensive for the small amount of content it contains. In my opinion you'd be better off buying Fowler's Refactoring book and downloading the JUnit docs, and reading Jeffries' XP Installed.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Introduction
Review: Want to try XP, but have no idea where to begin? Buy this book. Examples of test-first programming of Java GUI and non-GUI Code are particularly helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Good for beginners, not so hot for others
Review: While I am now convinced that Extreme Programming (XP) is an effective way to design small to medium sized systems, I am not sure that much of it is all that different from the informal methods we have used for decades. The pairing together of programmers into teams of two where one types while the other thinks is similar to the informal chats that have gone on between programmers since the proverbial first programming team. It is different only in the formality of the system rather than in the fundamental structure. In fact, applying the partner rule too rigorously could lead to additional problems, in that it may reduce the amount of professional interaction between the members of the larger programming team.
If you have no previous exposure to XP, then this book is just right for you. However, if you know the principles of the process, then you will have to search for points of major interest. The book consists of a listing of the principles of XP as well as going through some simple examples. Some of the major problems that need to be addressed before XP can take its place as an effective methodology are stated but not really examined. At the end of the book, there is a short section entitled "Where is XP going?", with the subsection, "Limits of XP". In that subsection, there is the question, "Can a large team do XP?", with no attempt at an answer. This is one of two questions that the proponents of XP must answer soon.
All the books I have read, including this one, explain XP by going through examples of modest size. No one could possibly doubt that it will work in that environment. In fact, it is ideally suited for such projects. However, no one seems willing to tackle the problem of scalability. If the answer to the question about large teams doing XP is no, then it must be determined what exactly is a large team.
The second of the major problems with XP deals with the stress of working intensely with another human being for long periods of time. There are some sidebars where practitioners talk about how the synergistic effects of pairing lead to a dramatic increase in productivity. In one of the sidebars, there is the phrase, "working in pairs seems to bring out the best in everyone. " In my experience with programmers, there have been many occasions where the result is the exact opposite of the descriptions here. It doesn't always work, we all know it, so why coat it with sugar. This would have been a much better book if the issues of conflict resolution between pairs of programmers had been dealt with. Choosing and managing the paired programmers is clearly the most significant management dilemma that XP will ever present.
This book is a good description of XP at the basic level. Unfortunately, there are still some major unanswered questions concerning XP, and I await the book that makes a serious attempt to address them.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting read!
Review: Willam C Wake is one of the first few who embraces XP at its earlier stage. In this book, he talks about the experience and understanding of XP. It clears much doubt any newcomer would have when embracing XP. The book has examples on test-first programmming as well as refactering. I like to learn by example. It's a great way to learn. The examples are just right, not too complex nor too simplistic, and it brought out the concepts fairly well. This book, IMO is a nice extension to the book "Extreme Programming Explained". A great book to grab after you have heard of XP and thinking of embracing it. Let the author's experience help you in getting up to speed with XP fast. :)
Rating:
Summary: An interesting read!
Review: Willam C Wake is one of the first few who embraces XP at its earlier stage. In this book, he talks about the experience and understanding of XP. It clears much doubt any newcomer would have when embracing XP. The book has examples on test-first programmming as well as refactering. I like to learn by example. It's a great way to learn. The examples are just right, not too complex nor too simplistic, and it brought out the concepts fairly well. This book, IMO is a nice extension to the book "Extreme Programming Explained". A great book to grab after you have heard of XP and thinking of embracing it. Let the author's experience help you in getting up to speed with XP fast. :)
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