An American author and journalist spoke to students in the Alondra Room on Tuesday morning about the highlights of his career and his new book about the Spanish Civil War.

Adam Hoschild, 74, is an award winning author and former journalist for the New Yorker, The Atlantic, and New York Times Magazine. Recently, he wrote a new book called “Spain in Our Hearts: Americans in the Spanish Civil War.”

With this year being the 80th anniversary of the Spanish Civil War Hoschild was invited to speak to students at El Camino.

“I think for me, (the reason I’m so interested in this topic) is having known a number of these American volunteers,” Hoschild said. “So when I study and write about the Spanish Civil War, I’m writing about something that people I knew well lived through.”

Hoschild was reached out to by Silvia Ribelles de la Vega, who is a Spanish professor at El Camino, when she heard he had a new book being released on the topic.

Ribelles de la Vega saw a newspaper clipping signed by Hoschild and emailed him asking if he was willing to speak to EC students.

“I wrote to him inviting him to come and he was so nice from the very beginning,” Ribellas de la Vega said, adding that although he didn’t initially agree to come speak, he considered it which gave her a “flicker of hope.”

Hoschild eventually agreed and in his presentation he spoke about the many veterans that died and the nurses involved.

Some students said they liked the presentation because of its relevance.

“I came because I’m in a class, but I actually liked it, it was interesting,” Natalie Mirabal, 18, nursing major, said. “I have some family (from Spain) and I related to the American culture. I’m also not really into history, but this was a good experience.”

Another student attended the presentation because of a class, but says she didn’t mind learning about it.

“We’re covering a little bit about the history and I never knew about Adam Hoschild until my teacher brought him up. I really liked learning about the American volunteers,” Yesenia Yos, 21, criminal justice major, said.

Like the students, dean of the Humanities Division, Tom Lew, also enjoyed Hoschild’s presentation.

“I came because it was one of the first activities of the (Spanish Civil War Anniversary events), there is a lot on the military history (in the book), we all know how the Spanish Civil War was the dress rehearsal of the second world war,” Lew said. “It’s such a fascinating era.”