Without Boundaries (by Jan Fortune-Wood)

(Amazon UK link)

I had come across Jan Fortune-Wood on mailing lists about home education, and found some of her views intriguing. I'm fairly relaxed as a parent and educator, but not to the extent of believing totally in non-coercion and autonomy at every moment.

So I was interested to read the theory behind her beliefs, which is expressed in this book. The subtitle is: 'Non-coercive parenting and autonomous education'.

'Without Boundaries' is an excellent book, in my view. It outlines the 'Taking children seriously' philosophy from a common sense viewpoint, rather than the extremism with which it's sometimes associated.

Having said that, I found the first paragraph of each chapter unnecessary (it simply said in brief what she was going to say in the rest of the chapter!) and I didn't agree entirely with all the conclusions. Personally, I do think that some boundaries are, sometimes, a good idea.

Still, I thought this book well worth reading. It presents the best, most well-balanced presentation of the theory that I've come across.

Recommended.