I think this book gets as bad a rep as it does from students because they don't actually read it at all. Take it from someone who's read the book through and through- it's very decent. The authors try very hard to write in simple language that anyone would understand and there were even some humorous bits where certain concepts were concerned. I could've done with more sample exercises but the ones they provided were appreciated. There's quite a lot crammed into this text so I think they did the best they could with what they had to cover. Relieved I'm done with it though!