Panama: An Historical Novel

Bill Boyd does his homework. "Panama; An Historial Novel," is a wonderful work of fiction filled with valuable nuggets of history. Still and all, the author does a splendid job a capturing the "zeitgeist" of this vibrant era that was spurred by a brash young president enamored with "Manifest Destiny."This is a book that is hard to put down. Most avid readers will go cover to cover in 48 hours. Boyd's masterful command of dialogue keeps the plot moving at a brisk pace. Moreover, Boyd is a polished writer who constructs a powerful protagonist who shines in moments of conflict.This book is much more than a swashbuckling account of a dynamic moment in American history. Boyd is a deep writer and nurtures a strong understanding of a young nation boldly storming onto the world stage as a global superpower.

This book is full of a history which I was not aware of and is most informative about the way the United States became the builder of the Panama Canal and of how, in the end, we had to give up this great engineering feat. Moreover, being a novel, it is very fast reading. It moves rapidly and intelligently and is, in my opinion, an easy way to learn history.