I was faced with the exact same problem not too long ago. Here's how I beat it: one step at a time.

If there's something you don't understand, skip it. Read the easy parts first, section without too much technical things.

When you meet with your friends, or simply post question here, ask them something that troubles and you'll understand. A little by little, the more things you understand, you more parts of the book you can understand. It's not that bad.