In this paper, dialogue among a group of adult women with basic adult education is examined. Women read books of mathematics in the context of a "dialogic mathematics gathering" (DMG). There is limited evidence in research on how adults develop their 'numerical understanding'. The objective of this study is to analyze how adults engage in critical thinking on numeracy, expanding their skills when becoming "critics" as readers. Women participating in the DMG create a context in which they exchange reports of their personal experiences in making meaning for the mathematical objects appearing in the readings. Three different episodes are discussed, involving units of measurement, number system, and the concept of base. Using a methodological framework grounded on Freire's work, evidence shows how those women unpack the mathematical meaning embedded in the readings, examining critically the objects discussed. DMGs result in a successful educational action to empower those women with low mathematics education experience.