Paulo Freire is one of the most influential thinkers in education. This text is a thoughtful and thorough introduction to Freire's work, situating this in the context of his life, intellectual journey and the reception of his thinking around the world.

Daniel Schugurensky's text offers a coherent and accessible account of Freire's educational thought, looking at its contribution to educational theory and practice and exploring the legacy of Freire for contemporary education and the relevance of his thought for today's students.

Schugurensky's volume is part of the Bloomsbury Library of Educational Thought series that demonstrate an understanding of the thoughts and practices of the chosen subjects. Schugurensky succeeds admirably in this task, with an excellent intellectual biography and a comprehensive, systematic, balanced account of Freire's educational philosophy. Among the many books and articles that have been published on Freire, it is not difficult to find examples of fragmented, decontextualised readings of his work. Schugurensky's Paulo Freire offers a good antidote to such examples: his reading is holistic, and he places Freire's ideas in their appropriate intellectual, cultural and political contexts. Schugurensky summarises some of the key critiques of Freire's work and offers thoughtful responses to them. His book also includes a lengthy chapter on the relevance of Freire's thought for the contemporary world.