The Canal Builders: Making America's Empire at the Panama Canal (Penguin History of American Life)

This book gave insight to some of the customs and cultural expression my parents and grandparents relayed to us over the years (born in Panama and lived on the Canal Zone). It explained the source of the antagonism between the different racial and ethnic groups and how it was fostered and encouraged by the racial attitudes and world view the United States exported to Panama ( condescending towards those of Spanish ancestry and dismissive of the intelligence, skill and work ethic of those, confusingly for a post slavery US, African West Indians) . Beyond that it also illustrated the hardships ALL workers faced and consequently the pride of my ancestors (West Indian) felt when they proclaimed :" We built this ditch". I always wondered about the contrast and differences in the quality of housing and amenities between the "Yankee" parts of the Canal Zone and the "panamanian" parts and why no Panamanian born could have certain jobs. Yet living on the Canal Zone provided our extended families those little extras only Zonians could purchase (food and medicine especially and money) that was more difficult or expensive to obtain for most Panamanian workers. Great book!!!

This book is written for general audiences, is well-researched, and a joy to read. To understand the Panama Canal construction from a worker's perspective and to note how work opportunities affected the migration of people, look no further because this book accomplishes that and more. From race, class, gender, and political perspectives, this text address a range of concerns including both foreign and domestic influences on the canals construction as well as how America was transitioning during its age of empire.

It is well written, but the focus is too heavy on the workers' rights and their mistreatment and so on. As much as that is a valid issue, I wanted to focus on the overriding obstacles of the geography, the diseases, the railway, etc. The other book about the canal (can't remember name, but most famous one) would have been much better for me. I tossed this one after halfway.

Author Greene is obviously a left-wing, liberal author, and she describes the imperialist, racist and political motivation behind Teddy Roosevelt's building of the canal. A much more balanced account, including the previous massive (and failed) attempt to build the canal by the French, is given in McCullough's magesterial book, "The Path Between the Seas".But reading each book is important in order to get both sides if this most important story. Liberals have "heart", and the superior moral view of history and politics. The "conservatives" are more cerebral, and understand that wealth and character are necessary to social reform, which is expensive.Both books should be read by anyone interested in this most important period in American development.

Book arrived when it was promised and in very good shape. I love ordering used books.

Painful but necessary reading. I never knew until reading this book of the contributions made by my own ancestors in building the Panama Canal. I always heard we had distant family in Panama, now I see why/how. Nearly half of the men in Barbados left to work building "the ditch".... many died. I now am planning to go to Panama, it will have much more meaning to me now.

Bought this for my husband who is always interested in historical subjects.

This book was purchased in anticipation of a Panama cruise. "Canal Builders" is boring and supplies more information that one needs to get a feel for the history surrounding Americans involvement in the Panama Canal. "Panama Fever" by Matthew Parkwer was purchased at the same time and was far more factual and complete without out all the banal additions. "Canal Builders" seems like it was written by a social worker or government bureacrat - cannot think of anyone else who would enjoy it's socialist theme.

The ionly thing the book ever talks about is labor and race. There's nearly nothing about the conatruction process or progress. I stopped reading about half way through abd looked for another book.

A scholarly paper on the intricacies and machinations of a working class project that is often lost in the attempt to focus on the magnitude and technical achievements of the building of the Panama Canal back in the start of the twentieth century.