Palestine rose from a predominantly illiterate society to a highly literate one in little more than a single generation--while caught in the midst of the most violent and intractable political conflict in the world today. The women of the refugee camps, facing dual handicaps of strife and stubborn cultural influences, do not always succeed in their search for education. Living under conditions of appalling overcrowding, poverty, oppression and the constant presence of violence, they continue to seek learning for themselves and their children. This book, based on interviews with many of the women in the refugee camps of the West Bank, crosses generations as it inquires into the spiral of illiteracy and relates it to the events of recent history in the region. It also describes the women's views on the impact illiteracy has on their lives and the lives of their children. The book opens a window into the world of the Palestinian refugee that will interest and inform anyone interested in Palestine, education, adult literacy, and students of conflict and its effects on civilian populations.