This short yet wide-ranging book is a rewarding read; philosophers interested in current debates on the notions of personhood and personal identity and in the practical--that is, social, legal, and political--ramifications of these notions will find this book compelling and thought-provoking. The style is engaging and the abundance of real-life examples makes the discussion interesting. . . . it is an original, timely, and engaging contribution to the debate on personhood and personal identity. I am confident that it can be usefully used in undergraduate and early graduate courses; I hope also that it may be read by a broader public and successfully demonstrate that philosophy as a discipline and a practice is indeed relevant to our lives.

Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy

Traditional philosophical treatments of the self usually make sense of the self in one of two mutually exclusive ways: either the self is regarded as a metaphysical entity or it is understood by way of its practical implications. Behrensen successfully bridges this divide, arguing that what a self is, metaphysically, cannot be understood apart from the pragmatics of personal identity. She convincingly argues that selfhood—and therefore personal identity—is embedded in a wider social world of narrative and conventions. This argument sets the stage for an important original contribution: Behrensen explains how the state manages and, in some cases perverts, who we are and what we are allowed to become.

Carol Hay, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of Gender Studies, University of Massachusetts Lowell