Well, definitely not the retarded index, but I heard that was fixed in later printings so you should be fine. 1) It is very aesthetically-pleasing. Not all text, lots of good quotes and nutritional bits thrown in on every page. Very appealing. It is seriously almost a COFFEE TABLE book. This makes it appetizing to read, which matters, totally. It's not all crammed on little pages with a 10 font, it's bright and colorful and spaciously-written. 2) AND THIS IS HUGE: Very rarely is there a book that has EVERYTHING in one: WHY you should go raw, what raw is, TESTIMONIALS (in detail), Menu Planning, How to Sprout, and more. PLUS HUNDREDS OF RECIPES. Seriously, THAT is friggin WHY. It's thorough. It's not OVERLY detailed in that it overwhelms. Sunfood Diet Success System and all that are great, but can overwhelm. That is why this is soooo incredible. Honestly? The other best book to get on living foods (I give this to people who may have a health affliction) is LIVING FOODS FOR OPTIMUM HEALTH by Brian Clements, and hey, talk about a SNAKE who got rich on the program---he screwed over Ann Wigmore, right out of her own institute! Way bigger offense than supposedly not getting a single person a book, no? But the book will save lives, so do we hold a grudge or buy a used copy and help save a life, you know? That's all I'm saying....and I'll continue to say it. The movement is too small and too on the fringes, still, unfortunately. Alissa's doing a good job of teaching people how to make million-dollar salad dressing (if that's what they want to pay to learn it). Nobody is forcing them, so whatever with that. Her book is a GIFT. I have a whole shelf full of raw books. WISH this was out when I got started! THAT is the only reason I tell others who are getting started, you know??? 3) THE RECIPES: Her CREPES are the BOMB. You wilL DIE. Her carrot cake takes 2 minutes and is the SHIZZ. It is guilt-free, light, and INCREDIBLE. Her CALZONE and ENCHILADAS are MASTERPIECES. And her ONION DIP tastes like the diseased-but-yummy kind at the local convenient store, to a "T". A few recipes miss the boat, but LORDY are most of them INCREDIBLE. Get the dvd to go with it if you are unsure at all about food prep. She makes like 25 things on it for 2 beginners, and it is THREE AND A HALF HOURS LONG. All the other demo dvds you will pay $20 for 3 or 4 recipes, etc. THIS BOOK AND DVD ARE THE SINGLE-HANDEDLY BEST INTRODUCTORY ITEMS TO BUY FOR YOURSELF OR ANY OTHER NEW PERSON TO RAW FOODS (AS A GIFT). I know this because I have even worked in raw institutes and people are STILL intimidated to make the food, etc. They get these tools and feel SO much better. The fancy stuff isn't necesary to make, but it's sure as hell NICE to have that decadence here and there, you know? You will not regret it, and people will die when you take this food to parties and they find out it's raw. I make NO money from Alissa, but less and less people can say that as she recruits more for these $2000 5 day trainings on how to make the same crap that is in her $25 dvd????? I don't get it. But whatever. Buy it used. Do whatever. Just get it because it will make YOUR life easier, not Alissa's! :-) I've heard her BAGEL recipe is the bomb, too, but I have not made it yet. DEFINITELY MAKE THE FETTUCINI ALFREDO, TOO...... Oh, and the CANNOLIS!!!!