The course of human lives in Western society is inescapably shaped by political, cultural, and economic factors. Changes in these spheres inevitably lead to changes in our conceptions of everything from childhood and adulthood to family structures and living arrangements. The nineteen articles collected in "The Life Course Reader" offer a range of both theoretical and empirical studies of changing conceptions of the life course. Drawing on research from North America and Europe, the Reader will be indispensable for anyone studying human development and the twenty-first century family.