The present study examined some effects of literacy achievement on the lives of 184 of the 215 adults who had successfully completed literacy training between 1962 and 1966 in the Flint, Michigan, Adult High School. Interviews and public records were used to gather data on student background, experiences during literary training, participants' perceptions of changes, and verifiable changes wholly or partly attributable to literacy achievement. A test of present reading ability was also administered. Participants were generally younger than the overall adult population of Flint. Slightly more men than women, and proportionately more Negroes than whites, were in the group. Most participants were from the rural South or the border states. A majority (especially whites under 30) had completed at least four years of schooling. The married participants all had less schooling than their spouses. Social aspects of literacy classes were important to learning and program completion. Economic concerns (among men) and relationships with others (among women) were the chief motives for participating; both sexes reported improved self-esteem as an outcome. Significant changes were noted in reading ability, attitudes toward school, knowledge of community resources, involvement in organized adult activities, and voting habits. (LY)