The volume, opening with a Preface by Nikolaus Lobkowicz, specially written for the volume, brings together previous publications and papers to form a coherent whole. The Introduction (pp. XIII-XXV) is a revisitation of the conference “Un esempio di comunicazione religiosa”, held in Milan on 10 March 1995 on the occasion of the Religious Book Fair (passages from the Introduction published under the title Meglio educare che reprimere, in “Il Giornale”, 24 September 1995, p. 16 and Giussani, la sfida di educare, in “La Stampa”, 6 October 1995, p. 20).

Part I (pp. 3-56) consists of the homonymous Il rischio educativo (first edition Jaca Book, 1977), including the “Preliminary Comments” (pp. 5-17) drafted for the French edition (Le risque éducatif, Nouvelle Cité, 1986, pp. 7-25) and inserted in the Italian reissue of 1988 (“Preliminary Comments for the New Edition”, in Il Rischio educativo, Jaca Book, 1988, pp. 9-29). The section “Tempi e contesti nell’attuazione di un metodo” (pp. 14-17), related to this introductory part, was also published in Realtà e giovinezza. La sfida (SEI, 1995, pp. 158-161) with the title “Ragione e compagnia”.

In 1994 Jaca Book republished the 1988 text in the second of the two volumes that bring together the author’s writings published under its imprint (Opere 1966-1992. Vol. 2. Il rischio educativo pp. 481-555); however the chapter “Preliminary Comments for the New Edition” was removed (1988, pp. 9-29).

Compared with the Jaca Book editions, the “Nota di edizione” was removed from the volume published by SEI, while the part titled “Conversazioni con Luigi Giussani” (1977, pp. 98-110) was inserted in the “Dialoghi” section in Part III (pp. 157-173), which comprises, in addition to the above interview, conversations which took place respectively at the National Convention of Teachers of Communion and Liberation (Corvara, 1984), the round table organized by the Sindacato delle Famiglie (Milan, 1987) and at the Istituto San Giuseppe dei Fratelli delle Scuole Cristiane (Turin, 1982).

Part II, “Viterbo 1977” (SEI, 1995, pp. 57-94), contains the address delivered to the National Convention of Teachers of Communion and Liberation in Viterbo in August 1977 (previously published under the title La nostra responsabilità per una presenza educativa in “CL-Litterae Communionis”, 10, 1977, insert; the text consists of notes edited by Laura Cioni and never revised by the author), and subsequently in Agli educatori. L’adulto e la sua responsabilità, (Quaderni 7, supplement to “CL-Litterae Communionis”, 6, 1985, pp. 5-45; new edition by Cooperativa Editoriale Nuovo Mondo, 1990, pp. 7-45). In 2004 passages from the address were published in “Litterae Communionis-Tracce” under the title Un’esperienza che si vede (2004, 1, p. 73; SEI, 1995, pp. 63-92).

Part III, “Insistenza” (pp. 95-155), is a collection of miscellaneous papers delivered between 1984 and 1995, of which only the paragraph “Cristianesimo aperto. Efficacia di una educazione alla cattolicità” (pp. 97-107) had been published before (in “Spiritualità missionaria”, supplement to “Fede e Civiltà”, 4, 1963, pp. 50-55 – revised edition of the article published in 1960 under the title Cristianesimo aperto, in “Fede e civiltà”, 3, 1960, pp. 112-120) and in 1997, and it was republished in the volume of miscellaneous writings Porta la speranza. Primi scritti (Marietti, pp. 54-68). The remaining texts are accounts of addresses to the National Convention of Teachers of Communion and Liberation (Arabba, 20-24 August 1987, published under the title “Educare è proporre una risposta a una domanda che vivi tu” pp. 109-121), at the Centro Studi Sant’Omobono (Cremona, 24 February 1984, now “L’adulto alla prova: il problema educativo oggi”, at the Convegno delle Scuole Libere (Milan, 17-18 November 1984, now “Educazione come cultura comunicata”, pp. 135-140), for the centennial of the Santa Maria kindergarten (“La famiglia primo soggetto educativo”, Carate Brianza, 31 October 1984), and at the National Assembly of the Compagnia delle Opere (Milan, 25 March 1995, now “Educazione alla libertà”, pp. 149-155). Part IIII is completed by the section of “Dialoghi” described above.

In 2005 Rizzoli republished the volume Il rischio educativo in its definitive format. The new volume includes only the Preface by Nikolaus Lobkowicz (SEI, 1995, pp. VII-XI), the Introduction by Giussani (SEI, 1995, pp. XIII-XXV) and Part I, “Il rischio educativo” from the SEI edition (1995, pp. 3-56).