For someone like me, it would have been really fun when I was less experienced. I would have liked the repetitive challenges while I was doing them, because I would have challenged my self to go through them as fast as a I could and gamify it (though it wouldn't have been called gamification back then). It would have got me to memorize things.
His books are different, I appreciate another take on them. I would read and follow along with his books if they fit my needs now. I've recommended him a couple times to people I thought would benefit from that style.
As to his personality, I think most people are jerks sometimes, and not jerks at other times. We all have our issues. :)
Generally, I feel that all the conversations about it much more harmful to the profession than the original instances being discussed.