Panama Fever, Matthew Parker
Panama Fever, Matthew Parker
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Panama Fever
The Epic Story of One of the Greatest Human Achievements of All Time — the Building of the Panama Canal

Author: Matthew Parker

Narrator: William Dufris

Unabridged: 17 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/18/2008

Synopsis

The building of the Panama Canal was one of the greatest engineering feats in human history. A tale of exploration, conquest, money, politics, and medicine, Panama Fever charts the challenges that marked the long, labyrinthine road to the building of the canal. Drawing on a wealth of new materials and sources, Matthew Parker brings to life the men who recognized the impact a canal would have on global politics and economics, and adds new depth to the familiar story of Teddy Roosevelt's remarkable triumph in making the waterway a reality. As thousands of workers succumbed to dysentery, yellow fever, and malaria, scientists raced to stop the deadly epidemics so that work could continue. The treatments they developed changed the course of medical history. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 spelled the end of the Victorian Age and the beginning of the "American Century." Panama Fever brilliantly captures the innovative thinking and backbreaking labor, as well as the commercial and political interests, that helped make America a global power.

About Matthew Parker

Matthew Parker is the author of several works of nonfiction, including Monte Cassino: The Hardest-Fought Battle of World War II; the Los Angeles Times bestseller Panama Fever, which was a 2008 Washington Post Best Book of the Year; and The Sugar Barons, which was an Economist Book of the Year. He lives in London.

About William Dufris

William Dufris attended the University of Southern Maine in Portland-Gorham before pursuing a career in voice work in London and then the United States. He has won more than twenty AudioFile Earphones Awards, was voted one of the Best Voices at the End of the Century by AudioFile magazine, and won the prestigious Audie Award in 2012 for best nonfiction narration. He lives with his family in Maine.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Daniel

As an engineer, my life has been dedicated to projects. I have worked on hundreds of them during my career and a typical drive through Southern California will usually bring me to within close proximity of at least one transformation of land that can be attributed to a personal contribution. To many......more

Goodreads review by Nancy

Having been all the way through the canal within the past few months, I picked up this book to try to get a feel for how this marvel of engineering came about. Parker's book is very well written and does a fine job of explaining the history of the building of the canal so that non-technical people l......more

Goodreads review by James

My objective reaction to this book: a well-researched, thorough and exhaustive history of the canal from idea to execution. My subjective reaction: a dense, thick, weirdly uneven book which wears its research heavily but which is nevertheless always interesting. I think the book never quite knows wha......more

Goodreads review by Hudson

Another grand slam from Matthew Parker in my humble opinion and it's now official: this guy is my new favorite history author. Panama Fever tells the story of the building of the Panama Canal which at the time was one of the greatest construction projects of all time. This massive task which was begu......more

Quotes

“An epic tale of human folly and endeavor, beautifully told and researched.” John le Carré, New York Times bestselling author

“Parker offers a detailed study of the myriad personalities and design plans associated with the work, but his limpid prose is best suited to accounts of the dangers the laborers faced.” The New Yorker

“An absolutely gripping account of the canal’s conception and construction…Exemplary history, vigorously told with a respect for complexity that enriches rather than obscures the pleasure of a great story” Los Angeles Times

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