For an even more basic introduction I'd recommend starting with Lawvere and Schanuel's Conceptual Mathematics: A First Introduction to Categories. Requires less

For an even more basic introduction I'd recommend starting with Lawvere and Schanuel's Conceptual Mathematics: A First Introduction to Categories. Requires less abstract algebra. If you have some mathematical intuition then this is the book to start with. I'm surprised he cites Sets for Mathematics but doesn't include it in his further reading. If you have some university level abstract algebra (groups, rings, vector spaces, topology) then Sets is a quicker start and better reference guide for Category Theory. I started with this book before I had done any abstract algebra and I quickly got out of my depth. But when I did get more algebraic structures under my belt, I had quite a few aha! moments and referred back to this book quite frequently. I haven't read Awodey's introductory Category Theory book so I can't comment there. Speaking of Category Theory: Bill Lawvere is an interesting and exceptional 20th century mathematician who probably has less name recognition than he deserves. Lawvere's Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lawvere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lawvere