Campo Abierto

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Summary: Campo Abierto
Review: This anthology of sociopolitical literature from various prominent authors of latin america eloquently illustrates the experiences that helped mold the attitudes and perspectives of the everyday people from the authors' respective countries. The pieces are poems, short stories, plays, and excerpts taken from books and novels that the renown authors wrote. The authors whose works are used were in my opinion chosen because their work made an impact on the way their society regarded key social and political issues. Writers such as Jacobo Timerman and Luisa Valenzuela from my native Argentina wrote emotional testimonials of the "Dirty War" in the form of poetry and narrative story, which indicate the feelings of the common people who fell prey to corrupt governments. The pedagogical layout is perfect for a course based on active discussion of the sociopolitical connotation of the works, featuring differing levels of complexity in which the works are composed, in their original Spanish. It also serves to suit a Spanish course that is concerned with the reader's comprehension of the text by featuring exercises aimed at questioning the reader's literal interpretation of the work, questions for debate, and even a key of vital vocabulary. In conclusion, Campo Abierto can open up new perspectives in a reader on the major political events that took place in latin america, while allowing for the development of Spanish comprehension in literature.