This best-selling intermediate Spanish conversational reader encourages student discussions and presents a broad variety of thought-provoking Hispanic themes. Lively readings from a number of original cultural and literary sources complement a wealth of activities that stimulate conversation and the development of critical thinking in Spanish. The reader includes authentic essays, stories, poems, autobiographies, legends, magazine articles, science fiction, jokes, and cartoons from ancient times to the present and from all regions of the Spanish-speaking world.