'This is a most welcome book, written in a clear accessible style. It opens up some complex and challenging issues in ways that engage the reader and illuminate contemporary people-work.' Community Care 'Learning and teaching about the human life course to student social workers in one module over one term has always seemed to me to be a tall order.However, having reviewed Lorraine Green's book, I can now confidently recommend this as an excellent place to start.Green's book is a rarity and a great achievement, providing the reader with a cogent account of the life course.Now, it is not only Green's students who can avail themselves of this knowledge; we all can.' British Journal of Social Work 'Lorraine Green has produced an impressive and stimulating text. She rigorously shakes some of the lazy orthodoxies which can settle into our understandings of the human life course, yet the work remains accessible and relevant to both professionals and researchers who seek to understand this important domain.

' Sue White, Professor of Social Work, Lancaster University 'Ambitious, up-to-date and very readable. Drawing primarily upon sociological and psychological theory and research, Understanding the Life Course will be invaluable to students studying on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, particularly those on vocational and professional degrees in the broad health and welfare areas.' Nigel Parton, NSPCC Professor in Applied Childhood Studies, University of Huddersfield 'Multi-disciplinary and theoretically informed, this book makes excellent use of examples and careful explanation to inform our understanding of the life course. Thought-provoking yet lively, clearly written and accessible, it makes a substantial contribution to the texts in this area.' Serena Bufton, Principal Lecturer in Sociology, Sheffield Hallam University.