The New Spaniards, 2nd Edition
by John Hooper
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Book Reviews of The New Spaniards, 2nd Edition
Book Review: This is THE book to understand Spain
Summary: 5 Stars
The first form of this book was simply called "The Spaniards" and was published in 1986. A completely revised version came out in 1995 with the title changed to "The New Spaniards." This second (2006) edition is significantly different that the first new and completely revised edition. This must sound convoluted, but the evolution of this book reflects the incredible changes that have taken place in Spain since the death of Dictator Franco in 1975. Indeed, some have argued that no other country has changed as much or as rapidly as Spain during the past 30 years.
British journalist John Hooper is intimately familiar with Spain. The well-researched, well-written book is as fine a survey of Spanish history, life, culture and attitudes as you are likely to find. His treatment is impartial and fair, though his love and respect for Spain cannot be obscured. It is everything you wanted to know and probably much you did not want to know. By that I mean that the strength of the book is also its weakness for some people. Though I am somewhat familiar with Spain, I learned a great deal and was fascinated with the breath, depth and accuracy of information Hooper provides. I also found myself slugging it out though seemingly endless statistics, economic studies and obscure names acronyms and personalities. Despite that, Hooper strikes a fine balance between academic excellence and readability. Even though you may be overwhelmed by more information than you can absorb, Hooper usually keeps your interest and gets the main point across.
If you are planning a vacation in Spain "The New Spaniards" may be more information than you care to know. Even a causal tourist, though, can benefit greatly from this book by intentionally focusing on what is interesting and relevant and not carrying the self-imposed burden of trying to remember or understand every detail. Of particular value is Hooper's firm grasp of the different peoples, languages and regions of Spain. If you are going to Spain as an exchange student or otherwise planning to spend an extended period of time in Spain, this is the place to begin your education.
Book Review: Brief but comprehensive analysis of modern Spain
Summary: 4 Stars
As a spaniard I have to say that after reading this book I was really impressed with its accuracy and how the author deals scholarly with almost every topic.
This book is almost unknown in Spain (in fact I came across with it by chance in a bookstore in the US) and it's somewhat weird because spaniards are interested in their neighbour's opinion about them. This would be a good starting point for any foreigner interested in Spain before submerging into more focused work penned by renowned Hispanic scholars.
The outline of the Francoist era is astonishingly brilliant considering its briefness and the overview of the country's everlasting identity problem is probably more unbiased than the average essay written by the average scholar on the area (although, it is not an in-depth scholar research) nonetheless it has some serious flaws. Being a Galician I considered rather ludicrous the reference to Galician's proneness to drug-dealing due to (according to the author) discriminaton by our fellow Spaniards. It seems that he hasn't read much about modern Galicia or perhaps he has been too much influenced by Spanish Golden Age stereotypes which depicted galicians as yokels who spoke a ridiculous language that were likely to exercise the lowest kind of jobs in the social hierarchy of the 16th century Madrid.
Aside from that particular nuance, I would urge any person keen on Spain to read this book and it would even be a good read for many of my fellow citizens.
Book Review: Well organized dissemination of information
Summary: 5 Stars
I have traveled to Spain twice in recent years and am very curious about the country and its people. I have found this book to be a valuable resource to my understanding of Spanish history, its people and culture. The amount of information in this 400+ page book would be overwhelming if it weren't so well organized. Hooper gives us useful chapter divisions and chapters that are just the right length. This is particularly helpful if you are looking for information on a specific aspect of life in Spain. I have purchased a few other books on Spain and this one is the most useful and enjoyable, by far. My one quible would be the relative scarcity of visual graphics, photos and illustrations. Otherwise it is an excellent read.Book Review: The New Spaniards
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fascinating book on contemporary Spain. It is written in a very readable and accessible style. The text is full of vital information about this very old but "new" country. Hooper goes into so many different levels in this book. He discusses politics, sexual mores, art, music, history, regionalism, Francoism and the new Socialist prime ministers, Felipe Gonzalez and Luis Zapatero. His chapter on King Juan Carlos and the restoration of democracy to Spain is just fascinating. This is by far the best book I've ever read about contemporary Spain. If you plan to travel to Spain as a tourist, or just want to know more about this fascinating country, this book is a good place to start.Book Review: Compact, concise source of information on the character of Spain
Summary: 4 Stars
I've traveled to Spain 3 times in the last 6 years. Me encanta España. This book provided great information to understand Spaniards better. Good coverage of history, politics and how that affects everyday life. If you are interested in Spain and don't have a good grasp of the totality of the country this is a great base upon which to build. Then you can go eat cheese & ham, drink wine and strike up a conversation without being clueless.