Donna Hansen worked on the front lines of women"s crisis intervention in Ontario"s Second Stage Housing for Assaulted Women when devastating cuts to that program were announced by the Progressive Conservative government, led by Mike Harris, in 1995. Tilting at Windmills chronicles Hansen"s tireless efforts to lobby the federal government to reinstate funding for the life-saving services provided by this program and to protecting them from vulnerability to the whims of provincial governments" shifting ideologies. Despite frustrating obstacles, especially slow or even nonexistent responses from powerful and influential politicians, Hansen persevered, rallying allies across the country to demand the program"s return. With tenacity and humour, she uses correspondence from that time to detail her campaign. Readers will be both inspired by Hansen"s dedication to supporting women who have experienced violence, and appalled at the pointed silence and inaction her demands were often met with.