• Panama Fever

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Publisher's summary

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.
©2008 Matthew Parker (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks America
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United States Imperialism Military Roosevelt Family War History Central America World
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Critic reviews

"Matthew Parker intertwines the various strands of the story - personal and national, political and financial, geographical and technological - with finesse. Best of all, his prose somehow manages to infect the reader with the Panama fever itself." ( The Spectator)
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What listeners say about Panama Fever

Overall ratings

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    37
  • 4 Stars
    52
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    8
Audible.com reviews

Customer reviews

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3 out of 5 stars
By Andy on 09-01-10

big dig

Solid and interesting story about the challenges faced, first by the French, and then by the Americans to build the Panama Canal. Matthew Parker provides great detail about the personalities involved and challenges faced in making the canal a reality. Very good narration.

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4 out of 5 stars
By CmH - HB, CA on 06-02-08

Good book, marginal narrator

Great story. The narrator got in the way by imposing overdone and inconsistent accents on french and spanish words. Given that the listeners speak english the pronunciations really get in the way. There are errors and at least one restart that was not edited out. The author deserves a rerecording of this work.

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10 people found this helpful

5 out of 5 stars
By Daniel C. Cannon on 06-26-23

Learned a lot!

The writing and content are both excellent. A truly engaging, informative read. This is by far the best treatment of the history of Panama and of the canal project that I have found.

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