Mike Keith and Merrick Schincariol authored a book which focuses on JPA 2, the Java persistence API which is now included in the Java EE 6 specification.
While JPA is covered in Java EE books as well, Pro JPA 2 only focuses on JPA and provides a profound coverage of the topic, attracting all kinds of developers. The books does not require previous knowledge of JPA 1 or other object relational mapping technology. A basic understanding of database systems, SQL and JDBC is required, but the required knowledge can be achieved by using Wikipedia or any introductory article.
The book motivates the usage of ORM (object relational mapping) software by showing the differences to JDBC, proprietary APIs, EJBs, and JDO. After reading the first pages, you are already able to write your first JPA 2 application, getting an overview of the various parts of JPA, configuration and running the application in a Java SE environment. This is especially useful for beginners, who are able to understand how the different parts operate and are encouraged to try out the technology.
Persistence mapping eases development and JPA 2 is a mature and feature-rich API for the use in production and through various types of applications.
At various points the authors note the differences from previous JPA standard, so users who are forced to the old specification can be aware of incompatibilities.
In a nutshell, the authors manage to satisfy both the needs of novice and experienced developers with a good introduction and an in-depth coverage.
I recommend the book to everyone who is using persistent storage in his applications.