Lieutenant Nun

Marjorie Garber (Vested Interests: Cross-Dressing and Cultural Anxiety), provides a lively introduction to this picaresque autobiography of a 17th-century nun turned cross-dressing soldier. De Erauso's story itself is a swashbuckler's catalogue of sword fights, daring escapes, damsels in distress, and witty repartee. Even if only half of what de Erauso claims about herself is true, it's a life well worth remembering and an utterly wonderful read.

Memoir of a Basque Transvestite in the New World

Translated by Michele Stepto and Gabriel Stepto

Foreword by Marjorie Garber

The memoir of a 16th century Basque woman who escaped a convent dressed as a boy became a soldier in the Spanish army, killed her own brother, and managed to become the darling of the Pope and the Spanish-speaking world.