Both girls and I used the ARRL books. No one has a background in electronics. We did just fine. I have not even seen Gordon West books so I cannot make any comments there.
I am also a big fan of online practice testing. There are many different ones out there, so just find one you are comfortable with. Take the tests until you are consistently scoring in the 80's or higher and then you are good to go.
http://aa9pw.com/radio/
Good Luck and keep us posted.