This compelling analysis of four contemporary novels by Latin American women writers, Tierra Inerme by Cuban writer Dora Alonso, Hasta No Verte Jes_s M_o by Mexican Elena Poniatowska, Cenizas de Izalco by Salvadoran Claribel Alegr_a and Darwin Flakoll, and La Casa de los Esp_ritus by Chilean Isabel Allende, uncovers a common discourse of female solidarity against tyranny in the form of dictatorial governments, class domination, and ethnic inequality as well as patriarchal abuse. Providing a thorough historical background, Maureen Shea traces the protagonists' growing resistance to personal and political marginalization and analyzes female bonding as a force against oppression. This study provides a tightly argued contribution to the study of both literature and gender studies in Latin America, as well as Latin American history and politics. Maureen Shea Tulane University