I used to use the book a ton. My eventual conclusion was that to me it's only worthwhile for flatbreads (naan, pita, pizza, etc.). I could get the loaves of bread to be... fine, but it was enough worse than I could do with a yes-knead recipe that it wasn't worth the convenience to me. The 5 minute technique dough is great for pizza -- a little harder to work with since it's a bit wetter than normal dough, but after a week or so on the fridge the mild sourdough flavor it gets is wonderful for pizza.
I'm not sure I ever used a whole grain recipe from the book, but my experience is that every bread recipe takes some tweaking for your specific circumstances (exact flour, humidity of storage, etc.). Always some degree of trial and error and developing a 'feel' for it.