Buy new:
-46% $13.59
$3.99 delivery Tuesday, May 28
Ships from: Fifty Third Street Books
Sold by: Fifty Third Street Books
$13.59 with 46 percent savings
List Price: $24.99

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
$3.99 delivery Tuesday, May 28. Details
In Stock
$$13.59 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$13.59
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Fifty Third Street Books
Ships from
Fifty Third Street Books
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$9.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Book is in good condition and may include underlining highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include "From the library of" labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys, dvds, etc. . We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service. Free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime! Book is in good condition and may include underlining highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include "From the library of" labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys, dvds, etc. . We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service. Free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime! See less
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 28 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Thursday, May 23. Order within 12 hrs 39 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$13.59 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$13.59
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Spain in Our Hearts: Americans in the Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939 Paperback – March 7, 2017

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 955 ratings

Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.

Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$13.59","priceAmount":13.59,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"13","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"59","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"SfDTLWU9zsBupBkHY0wJjUudbOmYglnzOBmFs5pt4uPaFVi0xnumwTRUdmWPLsE1q9HNtHG5XoNYbOq7O0sAxcA5pZAhoV8Gk%2BAq74sKWlLD2ZxLuxZP4fTICQK8z01RtrOC7SdsKFOP2Kk95%2FtfP9A%2BCd27d9W5d54aLxQI2TPRi07f6ZDSx54GjTscgkTr","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$9.99","priceAmount":9.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"SfDTLWU9zsBupBkHY0wJjUudbOmYglnzn3U6R8LFhF9NEiFqO9ON1ToKEC8La2MMav414CLBjICTskBLsDSDbkDbZd0016%2BgXBMdd5KWXNE%2FrO77pF2LJEYxiQOrveAl6DO9pIcmS8N7VHwNcQSgzg88MwpLyOxlFx4vXFFsbX615QNwvNjOT6epQj3zC%2FII","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. A sweeping history of the Spanish Civil War, told through a dozen characters, including Hemingway and George Orwell: A tale of idealism, heartbreaking suffering, and a noble cause that failed.

For three crucial years in the 1930s, the Spanish Civil War dominated headlines in America and around the world, as volunteers flooded to Spain to help its democratic government fight off a fascist uprising led by Francisco Franco and aided by Hitler and Mussolini.

Today we're accustomed to remembering the war through Hemingway’s
For Whom the Bell Tolls and Robert Capa’s photographs. But Adam Hochschild has discovered some less familiar yet far more compelling characters who reveal the full tragedy and importance of the war: a fiery nineteen-year-old Kentucky woman who went to wartime Spain on her honeymoon, a Swarthmore College senior who was the first American casualty in the battle for Madrid, a pair of fiercely partisan, rivalrous New York Times reporters who covered the war from opposite sides, and a swashbuckling Texas oilman with Nazi sympathies who sold Franco almost all his oil—at reduced prices, and on credit.

It was in many ways the opening battle of World War II, and we still have much to learn from it.
Spain in Our Hearts is Adam Hochschild at his very best.

“With all due respect to Orwell,
Spain in Our Hearts should supplant Homage to Catalonia as the best introduction to the conflict written in English. A humane and moving book.”—New Republic

“Excellent and involving . . . What makes [Hochschild’s] book so intimate and moving is its human scale.”—Dwight Garner,
New York Times
Read more Read less

Books with Buzz
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more

Frequently bought together

$19.97
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 25
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$13.79
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 25
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$23.63
Sold by MoonAndLight and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

New York Times best-seller “Excellent and involving . . . What makes [Hochschild’s] book so intimate and moving is its human scale.” —Dwight Garner, New York Times "With all due respect to Orwell, Spain in Our Hearts should supplant Homage to Catalonia as the best introduction to the conflict written in English. A humane and moving book, it is well-paced and meant to be read rather than studied." New Republic “Admirable . . . an unusually well-written narrative, full of telling detail and vignettes that capture great human drama.” Wall Street Journal “A commanding performance. Digging through archives, Hochschild finds characters whose lives … pull the war into tight, human-scale focus … After reading Hochschild’s book, it’s impossible to feel anything but admiration — and awe.” — San Francisco Chronicle “The tragic story of the Americans in the doomed Lincoln Brigade . . . comes vividly to life in Adam Hochschild’s compelling ‘Spain in Our Hearts,’ a long-overdue book that explores this long-overlooked conflict.” Los Angeles Times "By assembling a well-chosen set of individual narratives, many about figures who are relatively unknown, [Hochschild] captures why so many people thought the fate of the world might be decided by who won the conflict ... Consistently vivid ... Captivating." New York Times Book Review "A vivid and level-headed new history of American participation in the Spanish Civil War."  The New Yorker “Excellent … Hochschild captures both the passionate, partisan views of particular combatants and the larger political currents that shaped their experiences. It’s a moving and useful investigation into the dangers and promises of idealism.” — Christian Science Monitor "Exemplary . . . Moving and powerful." Seattle Times "The book’s narrative is driven by Hochschild’s deft handling of the personal stories, some heartbreaking, of a half dozen Americans . . . highly engaging . . .  A book like Hochschild’s keeps their stories and spirit alive." St. Louis Post-Dispatch “A sweeping, suspenseful, and somber chronicle of the Spanish Civil War … Mak[es] superb use of diaries and letters.” — Minneapolis Star-Tribune “Hochschild tells the story of this heady time with moving, well-paced prose exploring both international policy and intensely personal experiences … Exceptional.” Los Angeles Review of Books “A fine new chronicle of Americans … determined to do their part to fight fascism. One’s heart breaks to read what awaited them.” Dallas Morning News “Brings history alive … Hochschild is a writer capable of making any topic interesting, relevant, and accessible … Spain in Our Hearts is a primer, a meditation, and a story of American adventure abroad.” Tampa Bay Times “Well-paced … Closes on a poignant note of mourning and remembrance.” Boston Glo —

About the Author

ADAM HOCHSCHILD is the author of eleven books. King Leopold’s Ghost was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, as was To End All Wars. His Bury the Chains was a finalist for the National Book Award and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and PEN USA Literary Award. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books; Reprint edition (March 7, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0544947231
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0544947238
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 1.2 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 955 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Adam Hochschild
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Adam Hochschild (pronunciation: ''Hoch'' as in "spoke"; ''schild'' as in "build") published his first book, "Half the Way Home" in 1986. Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times called it "an extraordinarily moving portrait of the complexities and confusions of familial love . . . firmly grounded in the specifics of a particular time and place, conjuring them up with Proustian detail and affection." His "Bury the Chains" was a finalist for the 2005 National Book Award and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Two of his books, “To End All Wars” and “King Leopold’s Ghost,” have been finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award. The American Historical Association gave Hochschild its 2008 Theodore Roosevelt-Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service, a prize given each year to someone outside the academy who has made a significant contribution to the study of history. "Hochschild is a superb writer who makes light work of heavy subjects," wrote Jennifer Szalai in reviewing his “Rebel Cinderella” for The New York Times.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
955 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2016
Its the mid thirties, the United States was struggling to emerge from the Great Depression under FDR, Stalin was in power in the Soviet Union and Mussolini in Italy who had once again invaded Ethiopia. Hitler was busy consolidating his power in Germany and building a formidable military machine, just a few years away from invading Czechoslovakia and beginning WWII . Against this grim backdrop, a glimmer of hope for mankind---Spain elects a new government under President Caballero and adopts as its mission the betterment of the lives of its citizens who for years had been mired in poverty and hopelessness. Like never before the people of Spain had a say in their government. There was an explosion of euphoria in Spain shared in large part by the people of the world who saw Spain as a beacon in a sea of darkness. People world-wide held their breath and watched as the new government embarked on their great social experiment--land distribution and programs for the poor. Heretofore power had been in the hands of the military and the majority of the county's land and wealth held by less than 1 % of the populace. To help pay for these programs the military budget had to be reduced. The military was outraged. Enter General Franco and the Civil war was on. The Nationalists under Franco vs the Republicans under the new duly elected government of the people.
Supporting the Nationalists--Hitler's Germany, Mussolini's Italy, the Catholic Church (who participated in executions and book burnings), America's Texaco Oil Company (without whose oil the Republic might have prevailed) and America's Hearst Newspaper chain.
Supporting the Republic-- Cardena's Mexico, Stalin's Soviet Union, the Republic's citizen army, George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway who fought alongside the Republicans and idealists and dreamers everywhere. Forty thousand men and women from more than 50 countries rushed to the aid of the Republic among them several thousand from America who formed the Abraham Brigade. In all there were five International brigades made up of men and women ready to lay down their lives for the Spanish people.
It was a lost cause for the Spanish people. Despite the fact that large segments of their populace pleaded for their government's intervention the governments of the United States, Great Britain and France stood by and watched as Spain burned beneath German air power and the fascist Italian ground troops. Soon after the entire world was at war with the Germans and Italians. Perhaps it could all have been avoided had the Allies stepped in to defend Spain.
Years ago I had the privilege of attending one of the last annual get togethers and dinners of the surviving members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. At that time there were only a handful still alive and recently I read where the last survivor had passed away. These volunteers were the best of humankind. As Che Guevara once said "To be a revolutionary requires great love for ones people."
Hochschild's book is a masterpiece--so well written, so encompassing, so well researched. After reading it I felt as if I had lived it. Being an idealist myself it is likely I would have joined the Lincoln Brigade had the timing been right. I admire the men and women of the world that rushed to the side of the Spanish people and I do not think a book could better capture the drama, the history, the hardship, the sacrifice, and the tragedy than "Spain in our Hearts".
This story was summed up before Hochschild even began it when in the Prologue he quoted the great novelist Albert Camus who said "Men of my generation have had Spain in their hearts...It was there that they learned....that one can be right and yet be beaten, that force can vanquish spirit, and that there are times when courage is not rewarded."
11 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2020
A very moving book that provides the background and motivations of volunteers from the US. It is not a pedantic book that goes into the causes and background of the Civil War but provides a very personal perspective of the Civil War. It is a great book that you do not want to stop reading because you become engrossed in the lives of these volunteers. It is also tragic in that all the sacrifices and efforts made by the volunteers were for naught as the real powers - the politician in US, UK, and France - the only ones that could have made any difference in the outcome had other agendas in mind. It is too bad that book did not cover stories from the Nationalist's perspective but as most of the volunteers had joined the Republican side, I could see why it would be hard to write such a point of view. It is my second book by the author. The first being King Leopold's Ghost. I am looking forward to reading his other books as well.
2 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2016
Other reviews paint Hochschild as a Leftist, which certainly isn't me. And occasionally, as I read, I surmised he wasn't of my tribe. BUT--he is, subject to my one minor criticism below, a fine writer, telling a fascinating story of the practice war for WW II. And perhaps it is a story that can best be told by a Left-leaning author who might well, back in the mid-30's, have been tempted to join in the forces of right and honor. Only to discover, as did so many of those who made the arduous journey to Spain, that there is seldom a right or a wrong in a war; that the merits, if any, of one's cause are usually irrelevant if the other side has more and better arms; and that decisions by foreign powers about how much of their manpower and weaponry should be dedicated to what was happening in Spain are unlikely to take into account the needs of their proxies risking their lives there.

To me, this is the real story of this horrible war--that somehow a brutal dictatorship in a backward country could become the shining light on the hill luring some otherwise intelligent people to a fight about which, they learned, they really knew nothing; and that this dream was then shattered by the reality of bullets and bombs, and the obvious indifference of the Russians to these misguided souls. How did they feel, when, having struggled to reach Spain and join the fray, it quickly became apparent that they were on the losing side, but couldn't get out of the war nearly as easily as they got in it.

SO--an excellent read, with this reservation: I came to the story with little knowledge of ithe Spanish revolution.. I learned that there were "Republicans," and there were "Nationalists,." To my constant confusion, the Nationalists, whom I kept thinking must be the government folk, were the revolutionaries, and they were basically proxies for Germany and Italy. The Republicans, on the other hand, were the forces of the government, but, again to my surprise, they were the darlings of the left and of the Russians. That's tough enough, but Hochschild wasn't able to find a single word that always meant "government) or "revolutionary"--I had to keep remembering the various names by which each was called.

Which if, as they, is the worst I can offer, that really isn't too bad. And it wasn't, but it made the redsing a little bumpier for me. Otherwise I was thoroughly pleased with the book.

AMD, subject to that one nittlint comment5, I felt the fook was a reaqlly worthwhile read. I learned a lolt, not jus aout the specifics of this Warl but the horrors of all wars for those fighting them, especially when it suddenly appears to warriors on one side or the other than they are going to down in defeat.
15 people found this helpful
Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Vivian
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative book on Spanish civil war!
Reviewed in Germany on September 18, 2022
This is a very well written book about famous Americans that were part of the spanish civil war. This was a gift and was highly appreciated! I would recommend buying this for any history buff.
V. Perry Child
5.0 out of 5 stars Reglo
Reviewed in Spain on January 21, 2023
Regalo para mi hijo que es profesor de historia y muy enteresado en el tema de la guerra civil. No lo tenia y dice que es muy interesante.
One person found this helpful
Report
ColourSurround
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Insight into the Spanish Civil War with Focus on the Contribution of Individual Americans
Reviewed in Canada on August 7, 2020
I really enjoyed this book.

I had picked it up wanting to learn more about the Spanish Civil War, and not really caring in particular about what individual Americans had contributed, but their stories, and the way they were written was incredibly compelling so that the entire narrative fit together seamlessly. Hochschild also did a great job outlining the broader contributions of internationals in general, what they experienced, and why they felt the need to join a foreign war. Besides, when one of these characters is Ernest Hemingway, it's hard not to want to do a deeper dive into that.

I recommend this book for anyone wanting to further their understanding of the Spanish Civil war, and the further implications it had on the progression of WWII. It is an excellent way to spend a few hours of your life.
Jean-Jacques Bourgeault
4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating episode in the history of the USA
Reviewed in Canada on November 2, 2018
The Great Depression moved the world towards the dreams and promises of Bolchevists and the US was not an exception.
Many Americans and Canadians felt a need to act and this translated in a significant participation in the Spanish civil war with sometimes serious personal sacrifices including death.
This book describes a difficult period in a balanced and objective manner.
Cliente Amazon
4.0 out of 5 stars Buena síntesis
Reviewed in Spain on March 4, 2020
Excelente sintesis del conflicto con interesantes aportaciones de las vivencias personales de un puñado de norteamericanos