Learn Ruby the Hard Way: A Simple and Idiomatic Introduction to the Imaginative World Of Computational Thinking with Code, 3rd edition

This breakthrough book and CD can help practically anyone get started in programming. It's called "The Hard Way," but it's really quite simple. What's "hard" is this: it requires discipline, practice, and persistence. Through a series of brilliantly-crafted exercises, Zed A. Shaw teaches the reader to type sample code, fix mistakes, see the results, and learn how software and programs work. Readers learn to read, write and see code, and learn all they need to know about Ruby logic, input/output, variables, and functions.