In my experience I found the ability to produce a similar functional deliverable (e.g. a webservice or similar) in Clojure as I was able to in my previous langu

In my experience I found the ability to produce a similar functional deliverable (e.g. a webservice or similar) in Clojure as I was able to in my previous language (Java) was the most important factor in my learning and continuing with Clojure. Guides like this give a quick-start into that world. The book-driven big-philosophy route might work better for some people, but to take your first example of "reduce" being special - well that's never really occurred to me as important or remarkable. In time Clojure has transformed how I program computers, so the big ideas have settled in. I've never finished a Clojure book so I can't offer much reportage on their effectiveness. We all learn differently, I guess that's the point.