This book was written in an attempt to understand the experiences of young women who struggled and compromised to succeed at school, and in doing so, created new pathways to success. Chapter One introduces the five young women whose stories form the basis of the book. It discusses multiple definitions of success and risk. Chapter Two presents a mini-ethnography of the school environment in which the students functioned. Chapters Three through Seven tell the stories of the young women. Chapter Eight looks at the commonalties and differences in the young women's stories, and where possible, relates them to current theories of school success. It describes how success for these young women was created by new pathways and supported at the personal, family, and school/community levels. Chapter Nine summarizes the influences on success, resilience, and gender. It concludes with suggestions for establishing school environments that are conducive to success for students with difficult lives. Appendix One "Methodological Appendix," describes the ethnographic methods used in the research. (Contains 4 tables and 138 references.) (Author/JDM)