A good analogy...

No book or bicycle simulator will teach you how to ride a bike.

Likewise with RC aircraft.

And when you "fall" with an RC plane you tend to do far more than skinning your knee... you loose your plane, confidence and for some neophytes, the desire to continue.

There is more to this than flying the plane too... trimming, preparation, proper proceedures, etc. need a bit of guidance to learn and understand.

Some people seem reluctant to get an instructor, or in some cases to even try...

There's nothing to it... find a local club, visit a meeting and get in tune to what is going on.

Usually you'll learn a lot in that first meeting.