> What are you doing in the industry that familiar syntax is top priority?

The question is more like: "Do I want to invest time into learning a new language just to read and comprehend new and interesting concepts?".

With endless knowledge out there, I usually gravitate towards the least friction.

> I would think that other books, specific to Javascript, would be a much better fit for people writing pretty much anything in Javascript.

I don't think of this book as the ultimate JavaScript book. It just uses it as the most accessible language out there, and that matters a lot imho.