|
The New Spaniards, 2nd Edition | 
 enlarge | Author: John Hooper
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
Buy New: $1.15
You Save: $14.85 (93%)
New (51) Used (18) from $1.15
Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 226218
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2nd
Pages: 480
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0141016094
Dewey Decimal Number: 946
EAN: 9780141016092
ASIN: 0141016094
Publication Date: December 8, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: New! Fast Shipping. May have small remainder mark. Customer Service is our #1 priority!
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
A masterly portrait of contemporary Spain fully revised, expanded, and updated
Modern-day Spain is a country changing at bewildering speed. In less than half a century, a predominantly rural society has been transformed into a mainly urban one. A dictatorship has become a democracy. A once-repressed society is being spoken of as a future "Sweden of the Mediterranean." John Hooper s outstanding portrayal of the new Spanish society explores the causes behind these changes, from crime to education, gambling to changing sexual mores. This new, up-to-date edition is the essential guide to understanding twenty-first-century Spain: a land of paradox, progress, and social change.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 Scholarly and interesting August 29, 2002
40 out of 40 found this review helpful
This must be a definitive review of Spanish society and culture in the last half century, and while it's certainly fascinating reading, it is oversaturated. It can be a bit difficult to get through learning EVERYTHING about Spain if you are a newcomer to the topic. The section on the press becomes passionately detailed. Hooper seems to give the names, political bents and histories (behind the scenes and otherwise,) of every newspaper and magazine printed since 1936, as well as statistics about readership levels among various classes and regions over time which he compares to those of Britain and other European countries. Granted the information, with his analysis, does make for a very vivid portrait of the country, but you may feel a bit as though you're being hit on the head with a hammer when he starts doing the same thing in a chapter on television broadcasting. I simply couldn't keep track of the TV stations, and what they were up to, who was running them, how and why. Though I did get the point. Spanish love television, and they don't seem to have a problem with government control of the medium.On the other hand the chapters on education, the arts, film, and the significantly independent regions of Spain, to wit, the Basque, the Catalan and the Galician regions, were much more breathable, and did fill in many gaps in my understanding,(though there were far too many personalities to keep track of, and all involved in very intricate negotiations,) as did earlier chapters about the general History of the country, and how the conflicts, between the various nations which came to form Spain, still exist today. In the minds of most Spaniards, the formation of Spain as a nation was never a forgone conclusion. And Hooper covers this national psychological fragmentation, and its present day outpourings and consequences, with startling detail.
 COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARY SPANISH SOCIETY May 13, 2001
JIM SHIVE (BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS USA)
26 out of 26 found this review helpful
I would categorize this book less as politics and current affairs and more as a complete sociological analysis of contemporary Spanish society. The author covers all aspects of modern Spain including its politics, economy, demographics, education, housing, labor, family, religion, and popular culture. The author explains the changes over the past 25 years from the ossified Franco regime to the modern nation involved politically,economically, and socially with the rest of Europe and the world. Very well written and organized with insightful analysis and illuminating explanation of Spanish society and mores.
a masterpiece of perception February 10, 1998
24 out of 24 found this review helpful
As a spaniard I find incredible merit in this book. It is accurate like no other study (spanish or otherwise) and very entertaining. It has made me understand my country like never before through its very well documented and almost totally impartial overview of the Spain of recent years. Sometimes it takes a certain distance to see the whole picture and not corrupt the reality with stereotypes, myths repeated like mantras or official versions of the facts. For any Spain lover this is -the- book.
Excellent introduction to Spain in all its variety December 15, 1999
22 out of 23 found this review helpful
No praise is too high for this book, which is exceptionally entertaining as well as informative. Its most attractive quality is the way that it gets behind the newspaper headlines and gives a real sense of what life is like in the hugely different regions of Spain. Particularly interesting on the modern Spanish Catholic church and on youth culture.
The Essential Work on Post-Franco Spain January 4, 1998
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
After having visited the land of paella 19 times, I find that Hooper is dependably dead-on perfect in most all his observations and assessments of post Franco Spain. He masterfully explains how the country reached its present point, fitting a surprising amount of historic/cultural background into 470 pages. Hooper offers methodical analysis of every imaginable mileau (art, education, politics, crime, sex, religion, the press,etc etc), plus evocative (and unerring) portraits of each of Spain's strikingly different states. Indispensible for those traveling there, and a fascinating read for anyone even mildly interested in the region.
|
|
|
|
| |
