Very educative. Not rote learning, but understanding why math works. I grew up being taught math by memorizing and applying formulas. For some reason, regardless of the latter, I still had affinity to math, particularly probability. That was the only branch not destroyed by the soul crushing application of formulas; you still had to think. This book revamped that feeling towards algebra. It felt uncomfortable at first, not just thinking in terms of a formula. Instead it magnifies that math is about finding creative patterns, and how elegant, yet subtle, proving seemingly obvious facts can be.

This was recommended to me as suitable for self-learning. However I do not think it's ideal to learn this book alone, or I'm too stupid. Many problems come without a solution, which is quite annoying if you want verification and an explanation. Luckily there is a PDF with all the solutions floating around on the web, but it's not always thorough or without mistakes. Gelfand does mention that the reader needn't worry if a solution was not found, and that a lot of problems are pretty hard. Nevertheless, I prefer understanding all my mistakes and mathematical sinkholes. Aside from its flaws, this book definitely beats any math curriculum I've had in high school.

PS PM me if you'd like a copy of the PDF if you can't find it.