Basta de historias

In this insightful and engaging new book, Oppenheimer, a columnist for the Miami Herald, expresses concern for Latin America's current state of affairs. It was reported that during this year's bicentennial 43 percent of the populace was unaware of its significance, a sobering reminder of a persistent challenge endemic to the region: the lack of education. Indeed, the need to reform Latin America's educational system, Oppenheimer reckons, should be a no-brainer. Yet, the Great Recession of 2008-with its emphasis on fiscal austerity-has caused the issue of education to fall by the wayside. Written with a journalist's eye for detail and knack for clarity, Oppenheimer's work never just skims the surface; it goes in deep, providing case studies of the educational systems of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile (both their achievements and shortcomings come under inspection) and interviews with some 200 informants, including Bill Gates, President Barack Obama, and Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. Oppenheimer's proposed 12-point plan-conceived over the course of five years during which he traveled to China, India, Singapore, Finland, and Switzerland to study these countries' variegated and innovative approaches to education-seems sensible enough, in certain areas, to warrant serious consideration. What's more, the publication of this work is especially timely, coming as it does during a moment of great economic uncertainty, when government cutbacks in education seem imminent. This proposal for a reinvestment in the region's educational system will hopefully serve as a wake-up call to Latin American policy makers. Recommended for students of Latin America and Latin American current affairs collections.—Michael Sosa, Brooklyn, NY