>but I kept getting stuck because it seems like half the time it assumes prior programming knowledge Yes, to be honest, C is not good as a "first" programming

>but I kept getting stuck because it seems like half the time it assumes prior programming knowledge Yes, to be honest, C is not good as a "first" programming language. If i can give you a suggestion, it would be: Start learning Python, which is a good "first language to learn", and then try this book. You will find that jumping from Python to C there will be two strong differences: a) C is a statically typed language, so you will need to declare (specify) the type of each variable you would like to use. b) In Python, the language manages your usage of the computer's memory. In C, you manage the memory... After some CS courses you'll probably be familiar with concepts like "linked lists", which then you can try implementing in C by using pointers. Thus, you'll realize that in C you are in control of the computer's memory; you will be able to request (allocate, with malloc) blocks of memory and free them afterwards. c) C syntax can be tricky, compared to Python.