A study of women's participation in the movement to overthrow the Fascist regime, expel the occupying Germans, and rebuild a progressive and democratic Italy. The words of some of the Resistance women, taken from extensive interviews, describe their daily experiences as partisans. The author examines the motives for women's activism and the impact of their contributions. She then analyzes the degree to which women's involvement in the Resistance resulted in a political and feminist consciousness and female emancipation.