foreword
The difference between a cow and a bean is a bean can begin an adventure. —Jack in Into the Woods, by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine
While reading this book, I’ve had the preceding lyrics from Stephen Sondheim’s magnificent musical going round my head, and for a long time, I wasn’t quite sure why. Obviously, the “adventures” in the title of the book are relevant, but on reflection, I think more is going on than that.
This is a book that strongly advocates for mutability—not in data structures but in us. I’ve been struck by how many times Eric writes “This changed how I think about...” or “This changed how I approached...”—and for me, that’s the heart of the book. I may never end up using the specific data structures and algorithms described here, but going on the adventure invites us to change our own ways of thinking. An adventure from which you come back exactly the way you left is hardly an adventure at all, let alone a fabulous one.
As the Baker’s Wife tells the Baker in the musical, “You’ve changed, you’re thriving, there’s something about the woods. Not just surviving, you’re blossoming in the woods.” This book gives each of us rich material in which to thrive and blossom, but it may not be in the form you expect.