Lieutenant Nun: The True Story of a Cross-Dressing, Transatlantic Adventurer Who Escaped From a Spanish Convent in 1599 and Lived as a Man

The actual original text comprises the latter half of this book, the foreword/introduction/commentary is the whole first half.

This is a thoroughly captivating autobiography by a seventeenth-century Spanish woman who lived most of her life as a man.Catalina de Erauso was placed by her family in a convent at age four and escaped on an impulse at age fifteen. She cut her hair and made her undergarments into boy's clothes. All this without a plan. But once Catalina tasted masculine freedom, there was no going back.She must have been exceptionally bright. Despite her total lack of life experience, she functioned successfully as a page at court, a ship's boy, a merchant's assistant and a soldier (promoted to Lieutenant for her valor in Chile). She survived a shipwreck, attacks by bandits, bloody battles and numerous duels and street fights.Catalina was hotheaded and quick with her sword. A frequently occurring line in her memoirs is: "I ran him through, and down he went."Her constant reversals of fortune and near escapes from marriage and from hanging make for breathtaking reading. Although a self-confessed thief, gambler and murderer, Catalina is strangely likeable. Not the least bit introspective or digressive, she's quite matter of fact about her exploits. A genuine man-woman of action.Catalina's story also gives us an inside view of Spain at the height of its lust for conquest in the New World.The introduction does a great job of analyzing Catalina in the context of her era. It also fills in details that the memoirs leave out. Such as, what did Catalina look like? And how did she end up?Catalina became a legend in her day. But oddly, her memoirs were not published until 1829. Thank goodness they were not lost!I'd recommend Lieutenant Nun to any reader interested in history, gender studies, extraordinary characters and/or over-the-top adventures.

Book arrived in good time, in good shape. Packaged properly. Very satisfied with transaction.

Her contemporaries - bishops, kings and popes believed her story once she was found out. A Conquistador Wild West story. Good read. Probably a tall tale or two but a lot seems to hold up. And, lots of food for thought. Micro histories make the subject much more interesting.

I was attracted to the title because I am Basque. After reading it, I had questions like "How did she manage to remain undetected for so long" ? I was fortunate to attend a lecture/discussion on this book with a college professor who visited Boise State University for a workshop. Made it more enjoyable and either answered questions or provided reasonable possibilities.

Catalina de Erauso is an unusual figure in world history : a runaway nun who successfully concealed her gender and navigated the business and military structures of her time. She's a swashbuckler and an eye level view of Spanish society in Peru in the 1600s. Historians believe that, mostly likely, much of this book was actually written by this remarkable person. I'd recommend it as an enjoyable and quick read offering a first hand view of the past.

My interest in GLBT history lead me to this book which is a memoir of the first Spanish transvestite in New Spain. Its short but its a good story I must admit. Its very interesting how when Catalina demonstrates the most aggressive traits of a man is when she gets in trouble and how she constantly runs to the church when she is in trouble even though she escaped from one.

This book is an incredible adventure. It's a quick read... if you skip the intro. I was hesitant to read it but I'm so glad I did!

Very interesting story

This is one of the coolest true narratives out there!