Hawley and Jurgensmeyer compile the jewels of North Indian bhakti poetry in a book that is written (by Hawley) in a scholarly but unpretentious and readable style. The translations (by Hawley and Jurgensmeyer) are beautiful and faithful to the originals, and provide an excellent summary of medieval poetry central to both the Hindu and Sikh traditions.

"The monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have severely limited the portrayal of the divine as feminine." Please don't think because of the former comment that Hindus beleive in more than one God. The Gita says "God may take any form he/she pleases and at any time he/she pleases." These deities are manifestations ( dictionary definition of manifestation-- One of the forms in which someone or something, such as a person, a divine being, or an idea, is revealed. The materialized form of a spirit.)

I have this version under the title Devi: Goddesses of India published in India. I am pleased with this book. Many books show Kali as a ruthless killer and destroyer, here you will read about a softer and yet liberating side of Kali for women and men. This book has many articles from diffrent authers which really gives the reader a look at diffrent devis from diffrent points of view. Once I began to read this book I could not put it down. I would also recommend anything by David Kinsley and Kali by Elizabet U Harding .

This book really hits the core of the role of the divine feminine in India. If you are looking for something that will teach you the bare minimum in a simple and straight-forward manner, this is not the book for you. This is very scholarly in nature. It asks probing questions about the different aspects of the goddess and gives an in depth and thorough analysis of her many roles and complexities. i don't think that this book tries to encompass every aspect of the goddess, for this would be impossible given the size of India, the different sects of Hinduism and the great time period this religion scopes. Rather, I think it takes important bits and brings them to light in the overall significance of the religion. The most brilliant essays in here are the ones on Laxshmi and Radha.