Author: David McCullough
Genre: History
Pages (words): 698 (227,244)
Readability: 12.4
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***1/2
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: A shortcut from the Atlantic to the Pacific was dreamed of for hundreds of years before the Panama Canal was built. Multiple expeditions set out to determine whether the feat was even possible, and, if so, where the best route lay. McCullough lays out the attempt of the French at building the canal, and the subsequently successful efforts of the Americans to connect the oceans. The entire book covers over 40 years of history.
Thoughts: Every David McCullough book I read, I think to myself, "Why has no one ever told me this before?!?" This book was no exception. All the way though it, I couldn't believe that I knew basically nothing about the building of the Panama Canal. About all I knew was that it was built by the U.S. (I had no idea the French tried it first). Anyway, this was a great book, as all McCullough books are. I especially loved the engineering parts that described the building of the locks and how they overcame the technical issues of connecting two oceans across a continent. Because I can't help comparing this McCullough to the others that I've read, I have to say that I've probably liked his other ones a bit more than this one. The Great Bridge (about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge) was a very similar book that I personally enjoyed more than this book. But that shouldn't take anything away from The Path Between the Seas. The book is superbly put together, easy to read, fully of primary-source material, and interesting throughout.
Disclaimer: None.
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