The Missing Book of DSA
What I'm Working On and Why
I've briefly mentioned in one of my previous newsletters that I'm working on a book on coding challenges. Today, I want to share with you why I'm working on this book and what it's all about.
The Search for the Missing Piece
Over the past 20 years, I've been deeply involved in algorithmic coding challenges. Two decades ago, I started participating in competitive programming competitions, and in recent years, I've been mentoring people to improve their coding interview skills. Throughout this journey, I've used all kinds of resources to learn and teach algorithmic problem-solving.
While there are great problem archives like Leetcode or Codeforces, and excellent textbooks like Introduction to Algorithms (CLRS), I've found that there's no single unified resource that teaches the art of solving coding challenges in a holistic way. I wanted a resource that provides just enough theory and lots of relevant exercises, tailored to the needs of both coding interviews and competitive programming. With this book, I hope to bridge that gap.
The Series
The book I'm working on, currently code-named Initiation, is actually the first in a series of eight books. The series is designed to take someone who has never encountered a coding challenge (but can code) all the way to being FAANG interview-ready.
Initiation is targeted at beginners and will cover fundamental topics such as nested loops, array indexing, hash tables, and time and space complexities—all within the context of coding challenges.
Here are a few features of the book that I'm particularly excited about:
A Quest-Like Storyline: Set in the fictional School of Faangshui, you'll learn as an apprentice under Master Hashi, the legendary Grandmaster of Faangshui.
Gradual Difficulty Build-Up: The topics and exercises are structured to progressively increase in difficulty, helping you build your skills step by step.
Interactive Learning: The book provides just enough theory, accompanied by inline exercises that reinforce the concepts.
Integrated Coding Platform: A built-in code editor and online judge offer immediate feedback on your code submissions.
AI-Powered Feedback: Receive personalized feedback from Master Hashi himself, powered by AI, to help you improve your solutions.
The goal of the series is to make learning algorithmic problem-solving fun and interactive.
The Work Ahead
My original plan was to have an alpha version ready by the end of this month. I'm not sure if I'll make it in time, but here's what I've accomplished so far:
Platform Development: I have a basic version of the platform ready, complete with a built-in online judge and AI-powered feedback from Master Hashi.
Content Creation: I'm making steady progress on the content. So far, I have many pieces of text that need to be organized and connected.
Balancing Story and Teaching: I haven't yet figured out how to balance the storyline with the instructional material. My hope is to test this with alpha readers and adjust based on their feedback.
Attention to Detail: The more I work on the project, the more details I realize need to be addressed. It's a challenging but rewarding process.
Looking for Alpha Readers
There will be rough edges to smooth out and bugs to fix, and that's where you come in. If you're interested in being among the first to read the book and test the platform, please let me know by filling out this form. Your feedback will be invaluable, and I would greatly appreciate your help!
Stay curious and happy coding!
Nurbo
I'm Accepting New Mentees!
Are you looking for a mentor to guide you and keep you accountable on your tech interview preparation journey? I'm here to help.
I'm opening up a few spots for motivated individuals who would benefit from weekly one-on-one mentorship sessions. Together, we'll:
Develop a personalized study plan
Master problem-solving techniques
Build confidence for your interviews
Ready to take your preparation to the next level? Book a free introductory session with me here.