The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 by David McCullough

The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 is a fantastic nonfiction book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough. This classic work tells the incredible yet forgotten history of the construction of the Panama Canal. McCullough takes readers on a journey through the politics, personalities, and difficulties of a monumental engineering project, one that reshaped the make-up of two continents.

In The Path Between the Seas, McCullough reveals how the Panama Canal was first imagined as early as the 1500s. However, the land was deemed nearly impossible to build a canal due to the heavily rugged nature of the terrain. In the 19th century, many well-known and influential figures proposed plans to build a canal across the isthmus, but they failed to gain any traction due to political and financial issues. McCullough then reveals the story of Philippe Bunau-Varilla, a Dutch-born engineer and diplomat, who eventually changed the tide for the Panama Canal.

Bunau-Varilla passionately encouraged the United States to pursue the construction of the canal, a project that many within the government opposed. Despite attempts to block the proposal, Bunau-Varilla eventually persuaded the US to secure rights to build the canal in 1903. Plans eventually moved forward for the project leading to a deal with Colombia, which controlled the land of the canal zone. After numerous negotiations, the US agreed to pay Colombia 10 million dollars and an annual fee of $250,000.

From that point on, the Herculean effort to build the Panama Canal began. McCullough takes the reader through the fascinating history of the canal and the colossal effort behind its construction. He explains in great detail the enormous challenges engineers faced while building the canal, including dangerous terrain and tropical diseases, and the severe working conditions at the canal. Additionally, he reveals the extraordinary efforts of physician, William Gorges, who practically pioneered modern tropical medicine at the canal.

The incredible human strength and courage, as well as some of the politics involved, is detailed in The Path Between the Seas, ultimately creating an enlightening and inspiring read. McCullough also carefully profiles many of the key figures, such as President Teddy Roosevelt and John F. Stevens, who acted as the US representative at the canal, and who did most of the heavy lifting, literally and figuratively, to make the Panama Canal a reality.

Despite numerous setbacks, The Path Between the Seas reveals how the incredible construction of the Panama Canal eventually became one of the greatest human achievements of the time, and eventually one of the most important engineering feats in the world. It was a herculean endeavor which changed the course of history, and David McCullough has done a magnificent job narrating this forgotten story.