Johnson, Allan G. Privilege, Power, and Difference. 2d edition. Mountain View, Calif: Mayfield, 2005. 197 pp.

by Amber E. Kinser

This book's first edition posed for me a grand dilemma. It is one of the best undergraduate texts I have read for introducing the concepts and consequences of privilege, power, and difference, how they are socially constructed, and how those constructions impact the everyday lives of people. It is an excellent work covering critically important ideas in an easily accessible style. The first edition needed little improvement in writing style or effectiveness of arguments. It did not, however, address disability oppression and non-disabled privilege. The second edition represents an effective effort to address these issues.