The New Spaniards, 2nd Edition

"Now that Franco is dead..." A great many sentences in John Hooper's "The New Spaniards" could begin with some variation on that phrase, and indeed quite a few do. At this distance in time from the year 1975, it is easy to forget what a sea change the nation of Spain went through when Generalissimo Francisco Franco died and his 39-year dictatorship ended. "The New Spaniards" does well to remind us how dramatic those changes have been.Hooper, a veteran journalist who lived and worked in Spain for almost a decade, originally published his ideas regarding Spain as a book titled "The Spaniards" in 1986; this revised and expanded version incorporates events as recent as the terrorist attacks of March 2004. In a very thorough manner, Hooper chronicles the political change from dictatorship to democracy and its aftermath, focusing on the importance of King Juan Carlos I's support for democracy and on the development of a multi-party system. He also explores changing social values in areas like religion, gender, the media, the legal system, and the arts.Particularly intriguing are those parts of the book where Hooper discusses the tension between centralists in Madrid and cultural nationalists in areas like Catalonia, Galicia, and the Basque region. Other highlights include a chapter that focuses upon bullfighting and flamenco as honored and long-standing cultural traditions that nonetheless are undergoing changes that reflect the larger cultural shifts affecting Spain generally. A thought-provoking final chapter speculates on the future directions that Spanish society might take.The book worked well as a reading choice for a trip to Spain; I found Hooper's insights helpful as my wife and I traveled in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Segovia, and Toledo. Indeed, I wish I had had "The New Spaniards" with me on our first trip to Spain, when we spent time in Cáceres, Salamanca, Leon, and Santiago de Compostela. Hooper's ideas always gave me new ways of looking at the Spanish people and the landscape they call home.I found myself returning to this book at a time when Spain was very much in world news; amid an atmosphere of Europe-wide financial anxiety, one of the country's largest banks reported losses of 4.3 billion euros and sought a 19-billion-euro bailout. I can only hope that Spain will soon emerge from the economic difficulties it has recently been facing. But the degree of worldwide attention dedicated to the story provides a reminder that Spain, a beautiful and culturally rich nation of 46 million people, has emerged from the long and dreary isolation of the Franco dictatorship, and that its destiny is now linked with that of Europe generally. Any reader who is interested in Spain, its recent history, and its future would do well to read John Hooper's "The New Spaniards."

I think this book's seriously underrated here. I'd give ten stars if I could. Over the past 25 years, I've made dozens of trips to Spain, for work and for pleasure, visiting all parts of the country and making many friends. "The New Spaniards" has immeasurably enriched my experiences there. What's more, it was a brilliant, witty read (the author's a correspondent for the Economist, so he's meticulously clear and never, ever, pads).Spain is a complex country with complicated people, and it's hard to get a grip on how things are, much less how they got this way. Hooper unravels it all in a manner that's both rigorous and totally informal (and non-pedantic). I first read this book (in its first edition) after my fifth trip, and I was stunned at how on-the-money his observations were about the country and its people and culture, and greedily sopped up the immense knowledge and history he so effortlessly unfolds here. This background has served me greatly in subsequent visits.I'm so impressed by this book that I've given it to English-speaking Spanish friends, every one of whom has told me they wish there was a book this good in Spanish. What greater compliment could one make?If you have the slightest interest in this country, buy it and read it and love it as much as I did. The chapter on Catalonia alone explains away a thicket of extremely confusing cultural issues that would otherwise bedevil a foreign visitor. And the history of Franco's end and the dawn of King Juan Carlos' rule will make you see that Juan Carlos was one of the greatest heroes of the 20th century, though his story is not well known/understood/appreciated even in Spain, much less the rest of the world.

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.

I'm moving to the country soon. Even though this book was last updated in 2006 it is such a great overview of how Spain became the way it is in the post-Franco era I feel well prepared to catch up on the last 14 years or so with journalism and other books. I happen to know the author professionally; he told me "it's the book I wish I'd had when I moved to Spain. It didn't exist so I wrote it." I'm very glad he did now that I'm going to follow in his footsteps; he's done me and many other readers a big favor.

A brilliant book. I was reasonably well acquainted with Spanish history up to the Civil War and the first few years of the Franco era, but this coverage of the post-Franco period filled a big gap in my knowledge. Although it covers a range of 'dry' subjects like economic policy, it is never dull and I read it in a few days from cover to cover. Although broad in scope, the important roles of individuals are fully addressed, while details of the period and the author's personal encounters with places and people are used to make the narrative come alive. Furthermore, the author appropriately embeds Spain in the overall adventure of European development over the last 40 years.

My first read of John Hooper. Don't often read non-fiction either but this appealed to me.Essentially a modern history of Spain from the end of the Franco regime to 2006 with many comparisons with earlier times.Some areas I found fascinating but others are more specialized such as a chapter on flamenco and bullfighting.Read if interested in Spain and particularly Spanish politics.

Journalism at its best. Information laden with facts and figures but always readable and entertaining. John Hooper, a Guardian correspondent, delivers a scholarly insight to the history, politics and culture of the Iberian peninsula. Presents the reader with an understanding and appreciation of the forces and characteristics that took Spain from dictatorship to democracy and into a modern EU success story. This book has the ability to enrich the knowledge of all who are fascinated by Spain and the Spanish people. The author's command of his subject is masterful.

This is a first rate book for covering so much of Spain as she is now and how she got there. The speed of change in so many areas is mind blowing but the book explains so much not immediately obvious even to those of us whose relationship with Spain goes back a long way.Anyone thinking of moving here with only costal holiday experience would benefit from reading this book first.