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Title: Lakotas and the Black Hills

Subtitle: The Struggle for Sacred Ground (Penguin Library of American Indian History)

Author: Jeff Ostler

Narrator: George Wilson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-31-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 24 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

In this enthralling narrative, professor and award-winning author Jeffrey Ostler recounts the Lakota Siouxs loss of their spiritual homeland and their remarkable legal battle to regain it. Moving easily from battlefields to reservations to Supreme Court chambers, Ostler captures the strength that bore the Lakotas through the worst times and kept alive the dream of reclaiming their cherished lands.

Members Reviews:

A concise retelling of a familiar stories

There are many books on the Lakota nation and the Black Hills, especially if we include books on General George Custer that necessarily include these stories. However, many of them sprawl across wider topics â like those Custer books. Many others view the stories from the standpoint of westward expansion or fail to bring the story up to the present.

In contrast, Ostler does his best to view these events from the Lakota perspective. He also stays (mostly) focused on the Black Hills, and he does take the story to 2010. Heâs particularly strong on the legal claim that ended with the Supreme Court finding that the U.S. had illegally seized the Black Hills, and that the Lakota had a right to monetary compensation.

All those features make this book a good introduction if you donât know about the Lakota and the Black Hills, and a quick reintroduction for those of you who have heard these stories before.

Two part book, Compact History of the Lakotas and the Legal Battle for the Black Hills

Ostler, who is very familiar with Lakota from previous book reflecting their history since Lewis and Clark, writes a two part history of the Lakota (preferred over Sioux). The first is a very well detailed history that surprisingly covers a lot of ground from the Lakotas early known periods in the Black Hills, there movement west from their eastern tribal associations virtually to present time. Ostler covers the major events such as their difficult contacts with Lewis and Clark, their dealings with the manifest destiny travel through their lands, the Fort Laramie treaty that becomes the basis for their later court battles, the ridiculous Gratten affair over an aged cow, Red Clouds War, the Black Hills expedition, the Little Big Horn, creation of reservations, the reservation problems, attempts to semi-assimilate the tribes and of course wounded knee. The telling of Red Clouds successful war and the emergence of Spotted Tail, Sitting Bull, Gall and Crazy Horse is captured very well. The manipulation of treaties, the complex detail only understood by whites the erosion of their land, manipulation of supplies for tribal agreements, the failure to provide quality food stuffs, the elimination of the buffalo and attempts to educate the Lakota children while stripping hem of their heritage is a depressing story but accurately depicts the Lakotas plight. The second half of the book focuses on the Lakotas' battle initially to be properly compensated for their loss of Paha Sapa (Black Hills). Until the very early 1900s, many of the famous chiefs were still involved; however, legal obstacles constantly block the tribes abilities to achieve redress. Ostler weaves through the many complicated attempts made by the Lakota to receive a judgement. The exhaustion attempts include representation by one attorney for almost 40 years without much success.

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Title: The Essential American

Subtitle: A Patriots Resource - 25 Documents and Speeches Every American Should Own

Author: Jackie Gingrich Cushman, Newt Gingrich (foreword)

Narrator: Vanessa Hart, Jim Meskimen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-22-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 22 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

More than ever, Americans are realizing that if we want to keep this country great, we must be citizen-patriots. And heres the handbook every citizen-patriot needs: The Essential American, featuring the fundamental documents of our nations history.

Compiled by syndicated columnist Jackie Gingrich Cushman and featuring a foreword by her father, best-selling author and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, The Essential American is the ultimate patriots resource. Featuring well-known and lesser-known documents and speeches, The Essential American includes the Declaration of Independence; the Constitution; Daniel Websters Plymouth Oration; Abraham Lincolns Second Inaugural Address; Douglas MacArthurs Duty, Honor, Country speech; Ronald Reagans speech at the Brandenburg Gate; and much more!

Critic Reviews:

"Jackie has compiled the speeches and documents you read in history classor wish youd readand introduced each one with interesting historical details and explanations of how it shaped the character of America. Pick up this unique resource for the history of our nation. Youll return to it again and again as youre reminded of why youre proud to be an American. (Sean Hannity)

Members Reviews:

Many speeches I had not heard before

The majority of the speeches favor a traditional or conservative political perspective. Some of the writings didn't lend themselves to the audio format (the Articles of Confederation, in particular). I really enjoyed the later part of the book. I was struck by how long the academic trend has been anti-American. Such a deep seated philosphy will take a long time to counter.

Appropriately Titled! EVERY AMERICAN MUST!

Where does The Essential American rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

TOP FIVE!

What did you like best about this story?

The fact that these documents were all assembled and packaged so concisely.

What about Vanessa Hart and Jim Meskimen s performance did you like?

Short, sweet, to the point assessment of what we were about to read/hear.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

They got me in the first few minutes. Hated interruptions!

Any additional comments?

Find a philantopist who would give this audible to EVERY HIGH SCHOOL/or/College Graduate! Or somehow, instead of music in elevators, trains, airplanes, airports, PLAY THIS! Too good to be true! Thank you, Ms. Cushman!

Got to Love Reagan!

Any additional comments?

As a Canadian I learned a great deal about the American ethos. Based of the current state of the nation I'm left wondering how many Americans really understand their heritage. Certainly an essential resource for those who care enough to know. Reagan's speech is one of the best!

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Title: Chocolate Wars

Subtitle: The 150-Year Rivalry Between the World's Greatest Chocolate Makers

Author: Deborah Cadbury

Narrator: Deborah Cadbury

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 10-29-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 119 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

With a cast of characters that wouldnt be out of place in a Victorian novel, Chocolate Wars tells the story of the great chocolatier dynasties, through the prism of the Cadburys. Chocolate was consumed unrefined and unprocessed as a rather bitter, fatty drink for the wealthy elite until the late 19th century, when the Swiss discovered a way to blend it with milk and unleashed a product that would conquer every market in the world.

Thereafter, one of the great global business rivalries unfolded as each chocolate maker attempted to dominate its domestic market and innovate new recipes for chocolate that would set it apart from its rivals. The contest was full of dramatic contradictions: The Cadburys were austere Quakers who found themselves making millions from an indulgent product; Kitty Hershey could hardly have been more flamboyant yet her husband was moved by the Cadburys tradition of philanthropy. Each was a product of their unique time and place yet they shared one thing: they want to make the best chocolate in the world.

Critic Reviews:

"This tale of capitalist rivalry mixed with Quaker values makes for a very sweet journey." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

The World of Chocolate

I chose to read this book when I noted the author was from the famous British Cadbury Chocolate family. I remember all the fuss in the news in 2009 when the American Kraft foods mounted a hostile takeover of the British Cadbury Chocolate Company. The British government was powerless to stop the international business deal. The British have no laws protecting their own companies for hostile takeovers. Within weeks a company that had taken 186 years to build and which had flourished on the Quaker principles of altruism had been abandoned to the global corporate goals of short term profits.

In the early 19th century 4000 Quakers families were running banks and companies driven into the business world by the rules forbidding them from serving in Parliament, the armed forces and professions such as law or into higher education. Wedgwoods china ware, Clarks Shoes, Bryant & Mays matches, Huntley and Palmers biscuits all helped to shape the courses of the industrial revolution. Quaker Banks flourish as business and people could trust them to be honest and fair. The Quakers governed by their own strict standards such as the Quaker belief that wealth creation should fund social projects, that reckless debt was shameful and the quality of the product was paramount. I was particularly interested in the discussion of how the care of the poor shifted from the religious group, such as the Quakers and other in the 19th century, to the government after World War One (20th century).

In 1861 Birmingham, England Richard and George Cadbury inherited their fathers chocolate drink business. It was unprofitable. The brothers invested in new equipment from their Dutch competitors Van Houten and set about to design new products. The rest is history.

Deborah Cadbury tells of the intense competition between chocolate produces in Switzerland, mainly Nestle and the American Milton Hershey Company. In the 1880s Cadbury spread to Australian and the West Indies, the Middle East and South East Asia. The Cadburys followed their Quaker rules with affordable housing for their employees, landscaped parks and philanthropic projects.

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Title: American Indians and the Law

Author: Bruce Duthu

Narrator: George Wilson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-22-10

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

Professor N. Bruce Duthu, J.D., is an internationally recognized scholar on Native American issues. In American Indians and the Law, he highlights the major events, the differing principles, and the evolving perspectives that have governed relations among the Indian tribes, the federal government, and the states.

Critic Reviews:

A concise history of the law and a stout defense of tribal rights, useful to the practitioner and, ever rarer, accessible to the general reader. (

Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

America's struggle to embrace the ones who greeted us

This book tells the story of how our governent, its legilative bodies and Supreme Court, has dealt with the Indian population whose land we claimed by way of "The Discovery Doctrine." The story is not an easy read because it demonstrates our discomfort in living into American ideals, but the clarity with which Bruce Duthu writes invites the reader to stay with it and possibly finds ways to address in our own time the inconsistencies and the damages our government has wrought.

Duthu's book speaks to many current issues. He chronicles America's story as well as the struggles and triumphs of tribes.

I chose "American Indians and the Law" as a follow-up for another in the Viking/Penguin series ("The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears"). Both are well worth reading. They leave me with the question--is it a comfort or a sorrow to learn that politics have often twisted justice throughout the history of the United States?

American Indians and the Law

The author has presented a very reasonable and well-documented view of the legal challengess faced by Native Americans when trying to maintain their tribal identities and sovereign rights within the restraints of state and federal laws as legislated and as interpreted by the courts, the U.S. Supreme Court in particular. This is a must read for anyone who has an interest in this aspect of our history and concerns about the future direction this nation may take with regard to the legal status and rights of Native Americans in our democratic society.

Unique legal status

I learned that tribal legal status began as sovereign [self-government] that differed from that of other cultural groups predating the establishment of the US. In Johnson v McIntosh (1823), the Supreme Court applied the 'discovery doctrine' meaning that American Indians became guests in their ancestral lands. Later in that century, Congress subsumed American Indian sovereignty into the scope of national power. Johnson v McIntosh is the most important Indian rights opinion ever issued by any court of law in the United States (73)." Although American Indians became citizens (1924), they remained subject to the authority of Congress. The persistence of racism appears in many Indian cases and policies.

Four Stars

Good

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Title: At the Edge of the Precipice

Subtitle: Henry Clay and the Compromise That Saved the Union

Author: Robert V. Remini

Narrator: William Hughes

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-11-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 23 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

A National Book Award-winning historian brilliantly portrays Henry Clays heroic brokering of the Compromise of 1850, with its timely message about bipartisanship in times of crisis.

It has been said that if Henry Clay had been alive in 1860, there would have been no Civil War. Based on his performance in 1850, it may well be true. In that year, the United States faced one of the most dangerous crises in its history, having just acquired a huge parcel of land from the war with Mexico. Northern and Southern politicians fought over whether slavery should be legal on the new American soil. After a Northern congressman introduced a proviso to forbid slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico, Southerners threatened to secede from the Union. Only Henry Clay, Americas great compromiser, could keep the Union together, saving it from dissolution for 10 crucial years.

In this masterful contribution to American history, Remini explores Henry Clays final and most important act of bipartisanship.

Critic Reviews:

Remini breaks down the debate into palatable pieces for the lay reader.A fresh look at the value of compromise in advancing the general interest. (Kirkus Reviews)

"Award-winning historian Reminigive[s] an informed and lively recounting of the (in)famous Compromise of 1850.showing how the great men like Henry Clay tried to manage sectional reconciliation and their own ambitions." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

a very good little history book

For those of you wondering how inefficient, blindly political and self-interested members of Congress can be today, you would benefit from understanding how things were in Congress, and the Administration, in the 1840s and 1850s, when the issues facing the country were, if anything, magnificently larger & scarier, and the movement to address them were similarly inefficient, blindly political and self-interested. It took the courage of 3 old lions of the Senate, all 3 on their last legs, politically and in terms of their lives, Calhoun, Webster and Clay, to get movement going.

The Compromise of 1850 did not stop the move toward war. Just slowed it down. Of course, people in 1850 (including the 3 lions) could not have known that.

The book is very well written (Remini is an excellent historian) and very well read. Recommended.

Well worth reading

This is a solid book. It tells the story of Congress trying to come up with a solution to the weighty problem of slavery. The author does a good job of telling all the guises that the debate came under and points out, strongly, that slavery as an institution was pulsing away beneath all the major issues debated and compromised on. He also did a good job of pointing out how "omnibus bills" (a phrase coined during the debates discussed) tend to unite opposition more than solidify support.

My one major criticism of this book is it tends to sugarcoat the failure of the 1830's-1850's Congresses for not addressing slavery more directly. At the end the author tries to argue that the compromises negotiated during this time allowed time for the "north" to solidify itself as the major concentration of population, industry and other advantages that allowed it to win the Civil War.

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Title: Betsy Ross and the Making of America

Author: Marla R. Miller

Narrator: Dana Green

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-27-10

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

A richly woven biography of the beloved patriot Betsy Ross, and an enthralling portrait of everyday life in Revolutionary War-era Philadelphia.

Betsy Ross and the Making of America is the first comprehensively researched and elegantly written biography of one of America's most captivating figures of the Revolutionary War. Drawing on new sources and bringing a fresh, keen eye to the fabled creation of "the first flag", Marla R. Miller thoroughly reconstructs the life behind the legend. This authoritative work provides a close look at the famous seamstress while shedding new light on the lives of the artisan families who peopled the young nation and crafted its tools, ships, and homes.

Betsy Ross occupies a sacred place in the American consciousness, and Miller's winning narrative finally does her justice. This history of the ordinary craftspeople of the Revolutionary War and their most famous representative will be the definitive volume for years to come.

Critic Reviews:

"This first-rate biography of Ross (17521836) is authoritative and engrossing and goes a long way toward recovering the history of early American women and work." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Amazing amount of information

More than just a biography this books give a complete picture into, not only the life and times of Betsy Ross, but a complete picture of what life was like during her lifetime. The author includes an amazing amount of detail on members of the family going back many generations. She also described in detail the trades of the time, what it was like to walk the streets, the political feelings, the Quaker faith, architecture and so on in such detail that it give you probably one of the most complete works on 18th century history I've ever read (or listened to). The one draw back is that you have to listen intently as she talks about family members- for the simple fact there are many of them and they come and go throughout the story.

Don't expect a pure biography

I was prepared for this book because I knew that there is very little historical information about Betsy Ross and her making of the flag. BUt I enjoy history and I thought this was a good story of the history of her family and life in Philadelphia at the time.

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Title: The Secret Sentry

Subtitle: The Untold History of the National Security Agency

Author: Matthew Aid

Narrator: William Dufris

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-16-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 108 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

The first complete history of the National Security Agency, America's most powerful and secretive intelligence organization. In February 2006, while researching this book, Matthew Aid uncovered a massive and secret document reclassification program revelation that made the front page of the New York Times. This was only one of the discoveries Aid has made during two decades of research in formerly top-secret documents.

In The Secret Sentry, Aid provides the first-ever full history of America's largest security apparatus, the National Security Agency. This comprehensive account traces the growth of the agency from 1945 to the present, through critical moments in its history, from the Cold War up to its ongoing involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. Aid explores the agency's involvement in the Iraqi weapons intelligence disaster, where evidence that NSA officials called ambiguous was used as proof of Iraqi WMD capacity, and details the intense debate within the NSA over its unprecedented role, pressed by the Bush-Cheney administration, in spying on U.S. citizens.

Today, the NSA has become the most important source of intelligence for the U.S. government, providing 60 percent of the president's daily intelligence briefing. While James Bamford's New York Times best seller The Shadow Factory covered the NSA since 9/11, The Secret Sentry contains new information about every period since World War II. It provides a shadow history of global affairs, from the creation of Israel to the War on Terror.

Critic Reviews:

"This, very simply, is the most informative book ever written on the inside bureaucratic struggles and the outside operations of the National Security Agency. Matthew Aid is our reigning expert on the NSA." (Seymour M. Hersh)

A sprawling but revealing look at a powerful, shadowy agency of the American government. (Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

A Favorite!

Anyone interested in intelligence, spying, and history, will enjoy this book, especially if they come from a technical background (radio electronics, computers, etc). Good narration and well written!

Great research, fills in a lot of gaps

'The Secret Sentry' is a great piece of scholarship and reporting. NSA Directors are the main characters, and Aid does a stellar job bringing a story to life which could easily be just a dry retelling of facts. It is worth listening to -- I listened to it right after 'The Dead Hand' by David Hoffman, and they compliment each other well.

The narrator is okay. There are worse narrators, but his mispronunciations and errors demonstrate a distracting unfamiliarity with the subject (e.g. Douglas Feith's name, referring to the Korean Airlines call sign "KAL" as "cal" lots of little things like that throughout).

Great facts and info

Where does The Secret Sentry rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

It was a good listen, but not the most engaging.

Any additional comments?

Great history and facts regarding not only the NSA, but also American security and sentry. Starts to feel redundant after a little while although its not. If you want facts and history, this is for you.

Very disappointing

I found the early history of the intelligence agencies interesting, but was disappointed by what seemed to me a very deliberately negative slant on just about everything NSA did after 1960.

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Title: America's Prophet

Subtitle: Moses and the American Story

Author: Bruce Feiler

Narrator: Bruce Feiler

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-06-09

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 86 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

Feiler visits the island where the pilgrims spent their first Sabbath, climbs the bell tower where the Liberty Bell was inscribed with a quote from Moses, retraces the Underground Railroad where "Go Down, Moses" was the national anthem of slaves, and dons the robe Charlton Heston wore in The Ten Commandments.

One part adventure story, one part literary detective story, one part exploration of faith in contemporary life, America's Prophet takes readers from Gettysburg to Selma, the Silver Screen to the Oval Office, to understand how Moses shaped the nation's character. America's Prophet is a thrilling, original work of history that will forever change how we view America, our faith, and our future.

Editorial Reviews:

The author narrates his "narrative of hope" with clarity and authority. Using well-documented research, he illustrates why African-American slaves clung to the Bible, in particular the Exodus narrative and Moses's story, as examples of hope. More journalist than historian, Feiler brings to life four hundred years of American history with what he calls "touchstone" narratives. He describes visiting the island where America's Founding Fathers experienced their first Sabbath, then the Liberty Bell, inscribed with the words of Moses. His depictions of slave trade stories, the Underground Railroad, and the inspirational singing that was part of slave culture - in particular the song "Go Down, Moses" - are emotional and believable.

Members Reviews:

Another great book

Probably the most amazing thing about this book is that it illustrates how Moses has been a central character in the history of our country and nobody knew it. But it's all there and Bruce does a great job of moving through US history - from the Pilgrims on the Mayflower to George W. and Obama. Scholarly and entertaining. I am fascinated about American history and have read and listened to just about anything I can get my hands on and yet, I was constantly educated with this book. I've already started it over again. Well worth the money!

Learning history at its best!

The word Mosaic, what does that mean? You will know after reading this great book by Bruce. He does a fabulous job of narration and storytelling. The huge bonus is that he's done a ton of research and intertwines it with the greatest story! Thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned a lot too.

An education

I really really liked this book, and I am sure it has changed the way look at history, and many key figures in it, particularly the way I look at the founding of America. But there was an underlying tone I did not like. The author, Bruce Feiler, was Jewish. I have no argument with that, and I appreciate his point of view and totally understand it. The part I did not like was his comparison of Moses and Jesus Christ. He in effect dis-empowers Christ and gives all credit to Moses. I understand that he does not believe that Jesus was the Christ, and since he doesn't, he sees the comparison as being between two more or less equal leaders. He says Christ is not a very effectual leader. I suppose his opinions would change if he realized or believed that Christ is the God, the Great I Am, who spoke to Moses on Sinai.

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Title: The Bonfire

Subtitle: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta

Author: Marc Wortman

Narrator: Anthony Heald

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 08-17-09

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

The destruction of Atlanta is an iconic moment in American history - it was the centerpiece of the hugely successful book and movie Gone with the Wind. But though the epic sieges of Leningrad, Stalingrad, and Berlin have all been explored in best-selling histories, the one great American example has been treated only cursorily as a footnote. Marc Wortman remedies that conspicuous absence in grand fashion with The Bonfire, an absorbing narrative history told through the points of view of key participants, both Confederate and Union.

©2009 Marc Wortman; (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"The Bonfire is a tour de force of American Civil War history...." (Debby Applegate, Pulitzer Prize - winning author)

"The Bonfire stands out for its focus on the experience of Atlantans themselves. Marc Wortman's vivid narrative proves that war is indeed hell." (James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era)

Members Reviews:

Couldn't disagree more

I couldn't possibly disagree the previous reviewer more. I think that the narration was outstanding and that this was a great buy. More than just a telling of the story of the burning of Atlanta, it is much more comprehensive, relating the history of Atlanta and the background of the main characters. I enjoyed this very much and would highly recommend it.

Anthony Heald is excellent as a Southerner.

I wish he would narrate more Civil War books. His feel for the regional accents, cadences, and attitudes is clearly well-defined and also relished.

An Epic Story

Wortman tells the story behind the story of Sherman's battle for the heart of the ConfederacyAtlanta. Personal experiences characterize the telling so the reader has intimate relations with Yankees, Rebs, shop keepers, slaves, news media, government officials, generals and artillery captains. The scenes are vivid and the drama tense. Wortman is a master.

I was disappointed in the narrator who attempted to depict the southerners' accent and sense of anger or outrage. Not helpful.

Disappointing Presentation

As an avid reader and listener of many books covering the War Between the States, I looked forward to a long highway drive from Boston to Atlanta as a chance to listen to this book. The reader, unfortunately, was so distracting and irritating in his presentation and over dramatization of the book that I finally gave up half way through and switched to another selection. I am a long time customer and have never had this happen before. This reader is flat out annoying. A waste of money to me as I will have to buy the book to read after having spent money to listen to it.

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Title: The Canal Builders

Subtitle: Making America's Empire at the Panama Canal

Author: Julie Greene

Narrator: Karen White

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-25-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

For a project that would secure America's position as a leading player on the world stage, the Panama Canal had controversial beginnings. When President Theodore Roosevelt seized rights to a stretch of Panama soon after the country gained its independence, many Americans saw it as an act of scandalous land-grabbing. Yet Roosevelt believed the canal could profoundly strengthen American military and commercial power while appearing to be a benevolent project for the benefit of the world. But first it had to be built. From 1904 to 1914, in one of the greatest labor mobilizations ever, working people traveled to Panama from all over the globe - from farms and industrial towns in the United States, sugarcane plantations in the West Indies, and rocky fields in Spain and Italy. When they arrived, they faced harsh and inequitable conditions: labor unions were forbidden, workers were paid differently based on their race and nationality (with the most dangerous jobs falling to West Indians), and anyone not contributing to the project could be deported. Yet Greene reveals how canal workers and their families managed to resist government demands for efficiency at all costs, forcing many officials to revise their policies.

Critic Reviews:

"Engaging." (Kirkus)

Members Reviews:

Interesting Text; Frustrating Audio

Julie Green offers a well written and engaging profile of the workers that built the Panama Canal and the issues of nationality, race and gender that directed their work and lives. Unfortunately Karen White's otherwise excellent reading was horribly marred by unforgivable errors in the pronunciation of key names. Worst of all are references throughout the book to George Goethals. His name (as anyone who lives in the NYC area knows from traffic reports about the bridge that bears his name) is pronounced "go-th-als" or "go-thulz". Instead -- (probably due to the similarity of the spelling of "Goethals" to the author "Goethe" (pronounced "Gerta") we are introduced to someone named "Ger-tals" (rhymes with "turtles"). This name appears frequently in every part of the book. Similar, but less irritating errors were made with Ferdinand de Lesseps and Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla. Every time key name was mispronounced was like fingernails on a chalk board. I don't understand how Tantor allows a production like this to proceed without even basic research into proper pronunciation. I'd rate the book **** and the audio only **. I'd stick with the print version of this one.