Heretics or Daughters of Israel?: The Crypto-Jewish Women of Castile

Rating:
Summary: The Trauma of Converso Women
Review: This is an outstanding text. I have extensive experience working on Sephardic culture and the forced conversion of the Jews. In addition the author has been able to focus on one of the leading areas of Inquisitional studies that has gone unresearched for far too long and that is the treatment and experience of Jewish women forced to convert to Catholicism. This is a scholarly book that is a "must" have for anyone who is interested in medieval Spain, western history and nation-building because Spain was the first modern nation-state to come into existence in the West at the expense of minorities - the forced conversion and expulsion of Jews and Moriscos. The women of minority status were of the great risk and often the most abused. Levine Melammed has done a wonderful job in presenting this painful and traumatic experience. I recommend this text without any reservations.