“The subject is original and interesting, the conclusions are based on thorough research, and the analysis is clearly presented. Nails in the Wall is an important contribution to our understanding of religious change in early modern Europe and the way in which practical, local considerations often trumped dogma and rhetoric.”--Sarah A. Curtis, author of Educating the Faithful: Religion, Society, and Schooling in Nineteenth-Century France
— Sarah A. Curtis
“Leonard opens a new window on the social and moral world of a Europe divided by religion and demonstrates that beneath the sometimes bitter confessional divisions, a sense of common Christianity lived on. This innovative and provocative book will be of interest to all who study the Protestant and Catholic reformations of the sixteenth century. It displays the kind of humble, everyday fidelity that sustained earnest groups on both sides of that divide.”--Thomas A. Brady Jr., coeditor of Handbook of European History, 1400–1600: Late Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation
— Thomas A. Brady Jr.
“Nails in the Wall challenges both theoretical assumptions and assertions of fact about the Protestant Reformation, exploring the active intervention of nuns in the process of religious change. It presents a sophisticated and nuanced reading of the complexities of urban culture in a time of dramatic change.”--Merry Wiesner-Hanks, author of Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe
— Merry Wiesner-Hanks
"By concentrating on these nuns and their struggles with both Protestant and Catholic ecclesial leaders and civil authorities of Strasbourg, the author produces a work of serious scholarship, demonstrating both extensive research and captivating readability. The recounting of the tale of these religious women uncovers a neglected phase of the Reformation that indicates the complexities of the issues and the persons on both sides of the great divide."
— Kathleen Keating, Catholic Literary World
"This important work has broad significance for early modern women's history and Reformation history. . . . By examining the interactions between the nuns and Protestant magistrates, Leonard discovers greater accommodation and collaboration between different faith communities than Reformation historians have ordinarily recognized."
— Elisabeth M. Wengler, The Historian
"Leonard's short treatment of the sources, her pointed arguments against leading authorities, and her thoroughly partisan clarity are unfortunately extremely rare. These virtues make this work fresh and fascinating. . . . Amy Leonard knows what she is talking about."
— Bea Lundt, H-Net Book Review
"Leonard deserves a lot of credit for disclosing the nun's actions and aspirations. Her cogent and scholarly rendition of their struggle is very impressive. . . . This thoroughly scholarly book deserves a wide readership."
— Maria R. Boes, Renaissance Quarterly