Panama Fever: The Epic Story of the Building of the Panama Canal

by: Matthew Parker

Published by: Anchor Books

Reviewed by Paul Markowitz

This fascinating and well-written history of the building of the Panama Canal is more than just a recitation of the events in the making of this technological wonder that is the “greatest liberty ever taken with nature.” It is also a glimpse into the bold and disreputable actions that formed its conception, inception and completion. For the Panama Canal is no mere engineering marvel, but arguably the event that marked the beginnings of the “American Century,” as the United States emerged as a global power.

The isthmus of Panama has been the graveyard of men, dreams and reputations dating back to Columbus. It was only with the newest technological innovations in canal building, the medical breakthroughs in combating yellow fever and malaria, and the unrelenting determination of Theodore Roosevelt that the canal was ultimately completed as the costliest undertaking in human history.

This chronicle brings to life a whole range of inspiring, colorful and tragic people that toiled in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth:

— Ferdinand de Lessups, the builder of the Suez Canal, who led the 18 year unsuccessful attempt by the French to conquer the isthmus;

— William Nelson Cromwell and Philippe Burnau-Varilla, the conniving and influential lobbyists that guided the scheme through its many permutations;

— Colonel William Gorgas, the astute medical officer who successfully combated the disease-ridden countryside;

— Lt. Colonel George Washington Goethals, the last and most successful of the many chief engineers; and

— The indomitable Theodore Roosevelt, who visited the canal during its construction, the first foreign trip of any sitting President.

Panama Fever is a most appropriate title. It simply, but accurately, states the intensity of several experiences whose confluence happened to be this narrow strip of land. There was the “fever” that decimated and defeated the earlier French attempt to build a canal. There was the “fever” that pitted country against country in trying to be the nation that would ultimately control this geo-political jewel. And there was the “fever” that enthralled the American people for ten years as tragedy, scandal, and finally triumph was accomplished in the jungles of Panama.

Armchair Interviews says: A powerful re-telling of the event, the people and the tragedy–and finally triumph.

Author’s Web site: http://www.MatthewParker.co.uk