Panama Fever

By: Matthew Parker

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman, William Dufris

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

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)

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.

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.

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.

Nice Surprise

After I had bought this I wondered if I really wanted to hear about them building a cannal but when I listened to it I found it very intresting. Both author and narrator did a great job of making the story both intresting and informative.

Great story of the history of the Panama Canal

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The history and events Mr. Parker presents are interesting, noteworthy, and descriptive of all that went into the history of the Panama Canal from its earliest conception to the eventual take over of the project by the United States.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Panama Fever?

The description of the life of the workers was very real and descriptive. I could almost envision in my mind's eye what life was like.

What about Oliver Wyman’s performance did you like?

It was clear, understandable, and well done.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was history and having lived int he Panama Canal Zone as a child, I could revisit Panama and learn things that I was not aware of...