This book covers the core data structures that form the foundation of efficient problem solving in computer science. You work through arrays, vectors, linked lists, stacks, queues, deques, sets, maps, trees, graphs, and hash tables, learning not just how each structure works, but when and why it should be used. Throughout the book, emphasis is placed on understanding data organization, memory behavior, and performance tradeoffs so you can reason about time and space complexity and make informed design decisions.

In addition to data structures, the book explores recursion and advanced algorithms that build on these foundations. You learn how recursive solutions rely on the call stack, how to identify base and recursive cases, and how recursion appears naturally in structures like trees and graphs. The later sections connect these ideas to searching, sorting, graph traversal, and algorithm analysis, helping you see how data structures and algorithms work together to solve complex, real-world problems efficiently and confidently.