Rating: 
Summary: Buy this book
Review: I am currently a Spanish major in college and this book has been invaluable to me. It has given me more in-depth definitions for some words, taught slang and profanity (rarely done in school). It also shows some distictions between words (such as more ways to say 'no') Some grammar explainations are here as well, but I would advise having a decent grasp on the language first.I only know the 4 main verb tenses and have a decent sized vocabulary, but this book aided me immensely. The information never seems to get old. I've read it 4 times and it stays informative and entertaining each time!
Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat useful
Review: I bought this book thinking it would help me improve upon my basic Spanish skills. What I found this book focuses on are merely helpful words and phrases that I did find somewhat effective. However, if you're looking for a book to take you to a level of intermediate Spanish, this is not the one.
Rating: 
Summary: I agree with the crowd
Review: Essential for sounding natural while speaking with native Spanish-speakers. I am still just a beginner, but already it has helped me, and I know that I will be able to re-read this book at least twice more as I progress and get more out of it each time. A bargain for anyone really trying to learn the language.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this book! Compre este libro!
Review: I am a 52 year old spanish student. I began my spanish education in the summer of 2002 with a two week stint at a language school in Oaxaca,Oaxaca,MX. I have followed that up with the Pimsleur Speak and Read CD set and a private tutor once a week. I have purchased Dorothy Devney Richmond's excellent books on spanish verbs and suffixes. BUT the book that is providing me with the most fun and an indepth insight into the spanish mind as expressed in the spanish language is Joseph J.Keenan's " Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish". My biggest coup to date was when I used an spanish expression that I had learned from the book and immediately was "corrected" by a more "knowledgeable and fluent" student of spanish. Happily, when the more "accomplished" student of spanish had finished telling me how wrong I was... a native spanish speaker quietly and graciously stated that my expression was absolutely correct. As I read through this book and practice my ever growing spanish language skills, I am deeply grateful to Mr.Keenan for having paved the way and assisting us all in avoiding some of the potholes and gaining important new insights into the age old question.."But why is it like that?" Muchas Gracias a Senor Keenan.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not perfect
Review: I would have given this book 4 stars, but with all the 5-star reviews one needs to take another off to get across the point that this book is not perfect. Given all the justifiable good things everyone says about this book, it's worth mentioning a shortcoming and making some contrarian points. First, the LACK OF AN INDEX is a BIG SHORTCOMING. This is a reference book written by a journalist, with an entertaining style and interesting anecdotes and verbal illustrations. It's therefore easy to forget that it is, first and foremost, a reference book. After my first quick read through this book I recall wanting to check back on a fine distinction between a couple of similar verbs (I don't remember now which ones). They might have been in chapter 7, "Sixty-four Verbs", or in chapter 11, "Which is Which". I couldn't find what I was looking for by skimming, and an index would have been greatly appreciated. Second, a number of reviewers keep emphasizing that this book is for intermediate or advanced speakers. If you're interested in this book, I wouldn't let that stop you from getting it. I've been seriously attempting to learn Spanish for about a year and a half. From my perspective, that of having been a university student a long time ago in a place far, far away, terms like "beginner" and "intermediate" are of more use to academic bureaucrats than to teachers and learners. I consider the community college courses I've taken have been auxiliary rather than primary means of learning Spanish. A few months ago I was in Bogota for a week and surprised myself with how well I was able to communicate with the locals. More recently here at home in California I sat in on a reading course in which most of the students were, to some extent, native speakers. I had the realization that I still sound VERY awkward trying to speak Spanish (or more accurately, trying to read it aloud to a group at conversational speed), and that there's a reason that bilingual speaker (there are more of them in California than Colombia) tend to switch me back to English. From this perspective, some of the items in this book struck me as useful. My reaction to other items was "well, duh!" This book could have been quite useful to me 6 months or even a year ago. And the nice thing about a reference book is that it can sit on your shelf, ready for when the need for it arises. The third "yeah, but..." this book does not offer magical solutions. Of course no reasonable person expects magical solutions, and the blurbs for this book do not explicitly promise them. Still, all hyper-positive reviews for this book could create very high expectations. In the introduction Keenan offers a few suggestions on picking up the language, but precedes this section with the warning: "...there's no magic formula or secret recipe to speed you on your way to fluency." That might be as good as any piece of advice in this book. It is, nonetheless, well worth having.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and Informative
Review: This book gives so many interesting pitfalls to avoid that I found myself laughing out loud. Some of the mistakes were things that I would have never guessed and I know that I will be a much more fluent and interesting speaker due to this book. No more keeping quiet for fear of using a word incorrectly and offending someone. I recommend this book for anyone who has taken at least some intermediate spanish and is looking for ways to make their conversation more colorful.
Rating:
Summary: Good Stuff
Review: This book deserves all five stars! As a six year student of Spanish who is about to travel to the U of Belgrado in Bueños Aires to finish a degree, I found this book tremendously helpful and articulate. Not only that, but I laughed all the way through. Any student who wants to do a little better than "Bueños Dias, Como Esta Ud?" should look into this excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: Daily Pragmatics
Review: People who study linguistics distinguish between syntax (the study of how words work together to make gramatically well-formed sentences), semantics (how well-formed sentences come to mean things), and pragmatics (how utterances elicit responses when spoken and used between speakers). Lots of Spanish grammar books are strong on syntax and semantics, but this is just about the only one I know of which is about pragmatics, the kinds of responses that you may (inadvertently or intentionally) elicit from native speakers when making utterances in Spanish. This includes, for example, the fact that (irrelevant to syntax and semantics) the habitual use of 'yo' to refer to oneself is perceived as rather snotty, grammatical though it may be. Nonverbal behaviors are also discussed in helpful ways; the reader may not be aware that tapping out the "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm is the equivalent of sticking your middle finger in someone's face. Knowing this can save one serious problems in a Spanish-speaking culture. Information like this makes Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish a great resource.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Tool
Review: BOBS is a great reference for students of Spanish who are approaching fluency. It points out common mistakes that English-speakers make and explains how to avoid them. It also helps people find the right word for the right situations. If all of this wasn't reason enough to buy it, Keenan has a great sense of humor. You won't regret adding this book to your references.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Spanish Book!
Review: In my case, I have a good working knowledge of Spanish in all its forms. I travel in Latin America frequently and I always take this book. I use it to expand my ability to communicate using different expressions to gain greater fluency. You can tell that Mr. Keenan struggled to learn the language and he's sharing the road he traveled with us. If I could only buy one book besides a grammar book, this is it. You don't need another one. Este libro es un gran exito!
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