The goodness was actually the book. The writing was simple and clear, the examples were self-contained and practical. It was a perfect textbook. Many years ago I gave my tattered copy to a second-cousin when he was about 15 and it totally changed his life; he became a coder and never looked back.
https://marisolj.weebly.com/book-report-cadilac-desert.html
Problem is very old and very predictable and not limited to CA.