This well-researched, well-written book is accurate in its information on Durga worship in India and the author's personal narrative is wonderful and refreshing. However, as a Durga devotee myself, I must say that I feel like Miss Amazzone is projecting her own worldview onto the religion of Durga and using the Durga tradition to promote her own ruthless feminism. In fact, there are as many male followers of Durga as there are female - especially in India (I am a man, myself and an ardent follower of Durga for some time), yet she completely sidelines them and their role in the tradition. In addition, she seems to miss the point of Durga worship, which is ultimately to transcend one's own limited worldview - to include any type of "-ism", i.e., feminism - and unite with Lord Shiva, the transcendent divine consciousness and source of all reality (including Shakti, which arises because of the existence of Shiva).
Through the manifest (Durga), we aim to unite with the unmanifest (Shiva). Of course, shakti is always characterized as feminine. However, this is largely an abstraction and more for our ability to understand and progress spiritually than a literal, concrete representation of the underlying source of all manifest reality as a female. In truth, shakti transcends gender (gender arises out of shakti, not the other way around) and in fact is not even separate from divine consciousness (Shiva and Shakti are in fact one - there is no duality). It is easier, though, to approach divine shakti as separate and feminine, so we do - but this is for us to comprehend, not an accurate reflection of reality.
At any rate, I feel that her portrait of Tantric tradition purposely avoids any discussion of these deeper points in an attempt to push her quite hardcore feminist agenda, which is fine - it is all the play of maya, and perhaps this is necessary to balance the rampant testosterone-driven antics of modern society - but it is a disappointment that such an eminent scholar would not be able to overcome her own prejudices and limited perception. Books such as this one only serve to entrench people deeper into their own worldviews by giving them justification for clinging to their own issues. The true way is to let go of such entanglements and overcome them by simply releasing them.
Durga worship is neither about women solely nor is it for women solely. It is about approaching one aspect of the manifesting power as an external reflection of our own inner manifesting power in order to yoke (yoga) or bind (religare, religion) our consciousness to divine consciousness. There is no gender here. If there are gender issues within the individual, then these must be overcome before any true progress can be made. Durga can and does, of course, help with this, too, as she is best suited to remind us that every form - to include gender as well as her own form - is an illusion merely representative of deeper truths.
However, there is enough wonderful material in this book to counterbalance the undermining of the whole point of tantra, so I would definitely recommend this book.
Jai Maa Durga! Om Dum Durgayai Namaha!
