As a backend programmer trying to rekindle an ambition to become a full-stack developer, Learning React: A Hands-On Guide to Building Web Applications Using React and Redux was a good introduction to React, arguable the hottest frontend JavaScript framework. I have some frontend experience back in the day when jQuery was the coolest thing but the assumption of this book is that you have a basic understanding of how to code in JavaScript. I am probably not the target audience but I wanted some guidepost since the world of frontend frameworks seems a bit crazy in how fast it changes and the complexity that it has accumulated since the single-page app has become the standard.
The book has 20 chapters, each introducing a new concept and a relevant, self-contained example code. By the end of the book, you should be able to write a very simple app and have a good foundation on which to build practical techniques to actually code something useful. I think the issue is that the book is probably too elementary, and the author has a tendency to spend spaces on fuffs in an apparent attempt to make the content accessible, only to sound patronizing. I ended up skipping about half the content in each chapter since they don't really add much to my understanding of the framework. But the overall structure is decent and does lay the proper groundwork for further coding in React.
Since the book itself does not introduce quite enough stuff to actually produce useful work, it would be nice if the author presents recommended resources for further learning, perhaps the API usage guides or cookbook-style books. After finishing, I am having to research what to go for next in order to polish my newly acquired skill.