Ruth Cigman develops a style of thinking that attempts to get to the pith of what may be most at stake for children inside and outside classrooms. Her book will be of special interest to teachers and parents who are sensitive to the singularity of… children and the daunting difficulty that their lives often present to themselves and to others… Cigman deftly exposes the misplaced confidence driving several currently favoured reform agendas. And she shows why helping young people to thrive may require us not to ward off troubling intuitions but (in Iris Murdoch's words, which she quotes) to 'complicate, alter and deepen' them. This is a rare and welcome kind of philosophical writing… engaged and engaging, deeply humane and vividly persuasive.

Joseph Dunne, Cregan Professor of Philosophy and Education, Emeritus, Dublin City University, Ireland

At a time when 'caring' has become the name of an activity, with no emotional content, it is useful to have the concept of cherishing introduced, as that which should define the relation between teacher and pupil … Ruth Cigman powerfully and often movingly argues that nothing less will do. Her book … is highly original, in being centred on the 'conversation' which she regards as the essence of teaching.

Baroness Mary Warnock, philosopher and author of An Intelligent Person's Guide to Ethics (1998)

I often disagree with the author, but there is no questioning her wit, the lucidity of her writing and the originality of her insights. An exhilarating read, unmissable for all lovers of educational philosophy.

Kristján Kristjánsson, Professor of Character Education and Virtue Ethics, School of Education, University of Birmingham, UK