Long ago I read it, and found it frustrating. I don't remember all my objections, but I do remember one: the author spent about four pages almost but not quite defining 3rd Normal Form. Yes, jargon can be a barrier for beginners, but jargon also serves a purpose.

It seems to me that Jim Melton's Understanding the New SQL was pretty good. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I read one of Melton's books when I was learning about databases.