With clarity and conviction, this book relates women"s stories of adversity and triumph. Twelve women from diverse backgrounds and experiences talk about struggle and recovery in this inspiring collection of personal writings. Native women, immigrant and working-class women, wives, mothers and war refugees speak of sexual and physical abuse, workplace harassment, alcoholism, eating disorders and emotional breakdowns. They also document their determination and strength to overcome and move forward. Women in struggle and the general reader will be informed and inspired by the extraordinary determination of these ‘ordinary,” women.