text: McMurry's text is a very friendly, gentle intro to  organic. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read, but it doesn't teach you what you need to  know.  Explanations for important mechanisms are usually very brief, and the  problems included are usually very basic and general (the spectroscopy and  synthesis problems, in particular).  If you're looking to become a chemist,  this is not the book to learn from. I'd recommend  Vollhardt and Schore's  textbook, or any number of sophomore-level texts that will give you the  skills you need to approach complicated problems more successfully (i.e.,  on exams or out in the industry)
  