In this inspiring book using the spiritual adventure motif of her Longing for Darkness: Tara and the Black Madonna (1990), China Galland again explores those points where the spiritual and the political intersect. Attracted to the wrathful female deities of Tibetan Buddhism and the fierce goddesses of India, she travels to Asia in search of courageous women who have made compassion their spiritual politics. Galland is also trying to work out the anger she feels toward the male babysitter who raped her when she was four.
Several women lift our spirits with their service of others: Dr. Aruna Uprety, a physician who is fighting child prostitution trafficking in Nepal; Fran Peavey, who is zealous is in her efforts to stop the pollution of the Ganges; and Sister Jessie, who is deeply involved in the literacy movement in India. Galland is also emboldened by the compassionate actions of Laura Bonaparte, one of the mothers of the disappeared in Buenos Aires; Yvonne Bezerra de Mello, who is trying to protect street children in Rio; and Sister Chan Khong, a peace worker who leads retreats on forgiveness. The Bond Between Women vividly demonstrates how the Sacred Feminine in our time is animated by selfless service and compassionate deeds of love.