I am not exactly a newbie to Drupal, nor am I a pro, so in general I found this book helpful in advancing my Drupal skills. The book introduces modules that are essential to any moderately robust drupal site. A good sampling. What is frustrating about the book is the rather poor attention to detail, and method. One gets the sense that this was narrated and then transcribed because there is the occasional "Oh, did I mention this?" kind of feel. For example, when discussing usage of the date module, instead of explaining the module, its purpose and usage at the beginning of the discussion, the date module is introduced as a step in the exercise in which it is used. I am a professional at technical writing, and so for me this aspect of the book leaves me frustrated. It needs a good editor. But, if you're patient, the book can be quite helpful.