The reason I said that is because a lot of the other libraries I found, like Arel or Sequel, just build off of SQL to interact with databases. And the problem w

The reason I said that is because a lot of the other libraries I found, like Arel or Sequel, just build off of SQL to interact with databases. And the problem with that is that SQL is a terrible way to get a handle on relational algebra. It is entirely based on RA operations, yes, but it is so high level you barely feel connected to what's actually happening. Not good when you're trying to learn basic operations and how they interact with each other. That's the only reason I said "pure". Wasn't really coming from a point of view of performance or compatibility.