If there is anything in C that has a danger of looking that way, it is pointers. Stick with it though. Know it well. Pointers are actually one of the most powerful tools available to a programmer. You will understand that fully once you have done chapter 7, but for now, take my word for it.
Pointers look like variables with an asterisk.
A pointer holds the address of another variable. Now we declare the pointer. You should notice that I left off the asterisk. The reason for this is simple. A pointer is a variable that holds the address of another variable.