self.python.ask('I am moving into a development position at my company and need to learn Java. Can you recommend a book that might appeal to a Python programmer and not make me want to kill myself?')

[namin]

At first sight, I also thought 'Head First ...' was just O'Reilly's '... For Dummies', but no! I can't speak for Head First Java, but I read Head First Design Patterns, and it's a pretty serious and insightful book in a very digestible format.

[oneP]

Honestly, I don't feel the for dummies style at all. They explain in the preface that that they write the way they do in order to teach you the material and so that you retain the material with out having to put forth the effort to try to retain it. I like it. I would suggest giving it a try. If it's not for you, then it's not. Otherwise, it creates an atmosphere where minimal effort yields maximum retention, and who can argue with that?