Why I recommend this book:

This is the foundational architecture book that moves beyond patterns to focus on quality attributes—performance, security, availability, modifiability, testability, and usability. The systematic approach to evaluating architectures using ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) has been invaluable in my work. It teaches you to think about architecture not as beautiful diagrams, but as a means to achieve specific business and technical objectives. The emphasis on architectural tactics—the building blocks for achieving quality attributes—gives you a practical toolkit for design decisions.