[racket] New and lost

If you want to learn hardcore pure functional programming specifically 
(not just a Lisp dialect in general), then I recommend a textbook that 
uses Haskell, which is not a Lisp dialect.

For all other uses of Lisp dialects, I recommend some learning approach 
that uses Racket.  Go to 
"http://docs.racket-lang.org/getting-started/index.html", and choose 
which textbook/document to start with.

(You'll find a lot of people who don't know Lisps saying "functional 
programming", and Lisps *can* be used that way, but people who actually 
want to teach FP usually pick a language that was designed for FP 
exclusively.  Trying to learn FP in a Lisp will be confusing.  At the 
same time, many people who think they want to learn "functional 
programming" might actually prefer to be learning a Lisp in general 
instead -- they just heard there was something they don't know, and they 
heard a few terms, and they want to learn about this other thing(s).)

Neil V.