I was given a review copy of this book a few weeks ago and was happy to have it. I'm a data scientist (a software developer that learned a lot of statistics) and have worked with devices, but I could never do much with the hardware side. There's an impression that 'computer geeks' know all things computer, but most of us never get into soldering or low level hardware even if you have coded for ages. I've worked with devices quite a bit, but it was always on pre-assembled devices, not ones I made myself. With this book and a $35.00 kit Amazon recommended and I was off to the races. Full disclosure, I've done some really simple work with other boards, but that only gave me about a day's head start. This book does a tremendous job explaining how to work with the Pi. However, it's not really a programming book as much as a "Build something that works book." Instead of focusing on the finer nuances of sorting algorithms or database normalization, you learn why things work, then you're guided through watching someone build something. But instead of learning it from the POV of learning an abstract concept so that you can apply it generally, it shows you how to perform specific (although just about any task you'd want to do with a Pi is covered here) tasks, explains it thoroughly and keeps the code succinct so that non-programmers can follow along. The code is written in a way it's almost prose, it simply connects the dots between the Pi and the peripherals, but every step is covered. Can you benefit from this book with 0 technical expertise? Sure, but it may take some dilligence. But if you've ever build anything mechanical or ever written very basic software programs (and I mean watching a single a 'follow along' video), you'll be fine. If you're a beginner but are scared to get started, this book and a cheap kit will let you work wonder. Yes, wonders. When you're done with this book, you'll know how to Program the pi, configure it, take photos with it, connect to wifi and Bluetooth, play sound, record audio and video, use sensors, turn on light, accept input from a keypad, turn on a motor and a lot more. Yes, you'll be able to do all of that (including creating a smart pumpkin that takes pictures of trick or treaters). The book starts off explaining the environment and immediately proceeds to get you started on things. Each chapter is structured meticulously and is a testimony to how well the author knows his material and knows how to teach. From a teaching POV, this is one of the best written books I've come across and that's said as a fellow author. It's fantastic. Each chapter tells you what you're going to do. Starts out conceptually using examples everyone is familiar with and then shows you the hardware that's needed and the code. As I said earlier, the code is written in a way that it's like a Love letter to the computer with numbers on each code snippet that point back to a legend to explain the details. It's not in any way redundant to those with experience, but it's perfectly suited to someone trying to learn with no experience. That can't be overemphasized. From there, it begins with a typical Getting Started chapter. It's so dense however, that a whole lot is said very succinctly. Next is gives you a very basic overview of the Electronics you'll be working with. From there, you'll start to build a Robot which will get you hooked if you're not already. This portion focuses on building the robot base. Then it shows you how to move the robot around. From there it goes into Obstacle Avoidance (and honestly, this is a very basic version of what automated cars do) Next it shows you how to send out alerts with Lights and Sound. Implicitly is that you're building the groundwork for two way communication. From there it moves onto detecting lines and following paths. Then it gets really cool. It covers Computer Vision to a degree that pretty much anyone could understand it but it's still very functional. Sure, you're not going to go out and start a computer vision company after just this book, but it'll more than motivate any child or teenager into considering a career in high tech, but adults will benefit just as much. At this point, you have a working project, a fully working robot that can connect to a network, interact with Wifi and bluetooth, send and receive messages (including SMS and Email), can follow instructions, can 'learn' to move around while avoiding collisions, and even turn on lights and sounds. And yep, you'll learn all you need to get a motor started and run with it. From there though, every other function becomes crystal clear. I was able to intuit how to get the keypad working along with using a Google Map to create a small itinerary. Yep, it can send SMS messages and with just a little playing around, you'll be able to both trigger and have automatically triggered pictures taken and then sending them back to you. It's hard to describe how cool this is, but for a total of less than $60.00 and a few nights and days off, you'll be able to do all of this and build very serious other projects, from Smart Infinity Mirrors to home audio servers. Tremendously well done (with equally tremendous editing), well written and more than that, written with a obsession on what the readers will benefit from, this is a great book on every count.