Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Comment: I was a nervous wreck because it has been several years since my last algebra class. This book was very informative.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not a useful book for anyone who needs algebra to be demystified!
Comment: I bought this book to teach my son algebra and brush up on my own algebra skills. Not only is he mystified, but I am too, and I did well in beginning algebra in high school!
As has been stated in another review, there are plenty of "examples" of each type of problem, but NO explanations of how the answers to the examples are reached. There is almost no explanatory text in this book, and some of the examples combine multiple steps, leaving us wondering, "How did they get THAT from THAT?"
The book also moves too fast, as though it is giving you a quick review, not teaching you something for the first time. For example, all eight properties of exponents are covered in the space of ten pages; they introduce three or four properties at a time, and then they have you do practice problems using all four properties, so that you must try to figure out which of the properties you should be using for each problem. This is not a nice thing to do to people with non-mathematical brains! It would be much more user-friendly if they introduced one property, had you practice using it, then went on to the next property.
If you have a mathematically oriented mind and have previously taken algebra classes and aced them, you will probably like this book. However, if you are a non-math type person who needs clear explanations of how to solve algebra problems, run very fast in the opposite direction!! I wish I hadn't wasted my money on this book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Extremely great for me, but not for everyone.
Comment: This book was a great refresher for my high school course; actually, it explained everything better than my teacher in that course could. This book explains Algebra well, it starts you from fractions and moves on to more rigorous algebraic processes. The book was clear, and quite fun to read... but it's not for everyone. As most math books, not everyone will find it clear and concise on the subject, not everyone learns the same way, making this book either more difficult or easier for that person. But, overall, since this book got the job done precisely for me, it will receive my 5 out of 5 stars.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great for ESL
Comment: I teach a high school ESL class and many of my students have problems with algebra because the instruction in class goes at such a fast pace. With this series my students can go step-by-step and really understand what they are doing. I bought an extra book for one of my students who wants to go to college and be a ESL teacher. wonderful series!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Algebra Demystified: A Self Teaching Guide
Comment: Very helpful.. samples were easy to understand.
Having pages of practice helped me to be comfortable with the concepts.
Summary: Great Book
Comment: I was a nervous wreck because it has been several years since my last algebra class. This book was very informative.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not a useful book for anyone who needs algebra to be demystified!
Comment: I bought this book to teach my son algebra and brush up on my own algebra skills. Not only is he mystified, but I am too, and I did well in beginning algebra in high school!
As has been stated in another review, there are plenty of "examples" of each type of problem, but NO explanations of how the answers to the examples are reached. There is almost no explanatory text in this book, and some of the examples combine multiple steps, leaving us wondering, "How did they get THAT from THAT?"
The book also moves too fast, as though it is giving you a quick review, not teaching you something for the first time. For example, all eight properties of exponents are covered in the space of ten pages; they introduce three or four properties at a time, and then they have you do practice problems using all four properties, so that you must try to figure out which of the properties you should be using for each problem. This is not a nice thing to do to people with non-mathematical brains! It would be much more user-friendly if they introduced one property, had you practice using it, then went on to the next property.
If you have a mathematically oriented mind and have previously taken algebra classes and aced them, you will probably like this book. However, if you are a non-math type person who needs clear explanations of how to solve algebra problems, run very fast in the opposite direction!! I wish I hadn't wasted my money on this book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Extremely great for me, but not for everyone.
Comment: This book was a great refresher for my high school course; actually, it explained everything better than my teacher in that course could. This book explains Algebra well, it starts you from fractions and moves on to more rigorous algebraic processes. The book was clear, and quite fun to read... but it's not for everyone. As most math books, not everyone will find it clear and concise on the subject, not everyone learns the same way, making this book either more difficult or easier for that person. But, overall, since this book got the job done precisely for me, it will receive my 5 out of 5 stars.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great for ESL
Comment: I teach a high school ESL class and many of my students have problems with algebra because the instruction in class goes at such a fast pace. With this series my students can go step-by-step and really understand what they are doing. I bought an extra book for one of my students who wants to go to college and be a ESL teacher. wonderful series!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Algebra Demystified: A Self Teaching Guide
Comment: Very helpful.. samples were easy to understand.
Having pages of practice helped me to be comfortable with the concepts.