Searching for Women's Voices in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas· is a collection of eleven case studies carried out by women who shared cultural backgrounds with the. places they studied. In some cases, they were from the place itself. None of them was a professional gender research specialist. Within a limited period of time (3 months). the women surveyed the villages and Questioned women about their physical and emotional environments, their self-images, and their felt needs. They also carried out desk research on policies and plans for women in the countries chosen for the study and wrote their reports. Contents vary in terms of depth of study and ana!)'sis by the researchers. An editorial preface points out some of the lacunae in the information and the contradictions that occur when those carrying out the research are not from the specific area of expertise. Nevertheless. the Editor, Jeannette D. Gurung. has let the ·voices· come through. A well-informed introductory chapter by the editor pre-empts the necessity of and temptation to 'add' to what the women themselves have to say. Studies were carried out in eleven places: two of the studies, those from Bhutan and Tibet, are on a country and regional basis. The other studies were carried out in villages in the mountains and hills of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal. Although this does not provide in-depth comparative ana!)'sis of the status of women throughout the Hindu Kush-Himalayas, it lays the valuable groundwork for the future of gender studies in this region.