A really illuminating book on the contentious notion of vulnerability, and it should be read, debated and brought to bear on service design and development. Research, Policy and Planning This insightful and timely book by Kate Brown is an excellent addition to new, critical, qualitative research that explores and questions key issues in social policy. Rob MacDonald, Teesside University Innovative, beautifully written, well researched and eloquently argued. Finally a book that subjects the concept of `vulnerability' to robust academic scrutiny, particularly in terms of the rise of its use to justify almost any type of intervention with children and young people. A must read for anyone interested in young people and social policy. Jo Phoenix, Leicester University Through a careful, theoretically rigorous analysis, Brown interrogates policy directives and practices that have seemingly championed the rights and needs of vulnerable citizens. Journal of Children and Poverty Brown's central focus is an analysis of the life stories of vulnerable young people...what the book does brilliantly is to give them a voice. Times Higher Education This essential book offers a groundbreaking study of the lived experience of vulnerability and its increasing importance to welfare and criminal justice systems, exploring fundamental questions of deservingness, human agency, care, governance and social control. John Flint, University of Sheffield A unique and compelling account of the implications of a `vulnerability zeitgeist' and an important contribution to an area of public policy that is not as benign as it can appear. Kenneth McLaughlin, Manchester Metropolitan University