It's a really nice book, very self-contained. I think anyone with a basic mathematical education (A-Level or equivalent) could get through it without having to read other things to acquire prerequisites, though they should be prepared to think quite hard.
1. The resemblance to the titles of Gerald Jay Sussman's "Structure and Interpretation" books appears to be coincidental. The title is meant literally: the book is split into two sections, one on the (mathematical) structure of QM and one on its (philosophical) interpretation. There are no similarities in style, pedagogy or subject matter to Sussmann's books and no use of, or reference to, programming. The author was a professor of philosophy at the University of South Carolina.
2. He actually lists a collection of alternatives for that extra ingredient, any one of which has the same effect when added.