Category: Book Reviews

This is the story of William Drummond, a president of the local Canal Zone AFGE (American Federation of Government Employees) union. He came to the Canal Zone as an Army sergeant stationed at Fort Kobi, and he witnessed the historic 1964 riots. His account of the riots is both interesting and insightful. After discharging from the Army, Drummond began his career as a Panama Canal employee and married a Panamanian woman who happened to be the aunt of two of the men that planted the flag on top of a light pole on Fourth of July Avenue and I Avenue. A picture of the flag placed there was later published by Life magazine. The Panamanians refer to this event as Martyrs’ Day. Martyrs’ Day (Panama) – Wikipedia 

William Drummond worked for the Canal Zone Police Division, and in his book An American Canal in Panama, he provides a lot of research and background (some documented and some not) information revealing an inside view of the Canal Zone governance and social dynamics. The life details he provides are not packaged in a pretty gift of nostalgia, but can be gritty and raw. That’s the way life is.

In his story, Drummond brings to light retaliation he faced as a union representative as well as his efforts in Washington D.C. to battle Panama Canal Treaty Violations. One retaliation he faced was trouble with the IRS (Internal Revenue Service). He mentions that the IRS was used as a tool to control or damage individuals who created problems This also happened to my own father who “blew the whistle” on some Canal Zone shenanigans. My father had a visit from the IRS, and it took several years, a lot of money, and the work of Senator Jesse Helmes to finally resolve this bogus issue.  My dad, like Drummond, was found not guilty of any violation of IRS regulation. Drummond reports that he has heard from other Canal Zonians who have had similar experiences with an IRS type of retaliation, and I have also heard similar reports from others.

The American Canal in Panama does a very good job depicting the complexities of the Panama Canal treaties. I appreciate the work William Drummond did on his book, and I appreciate his work on fighting the treaty negotiations. The underlying political and societal background in Drummond’s book provides a fuller picture of Canal Zone life during the time period I lived there; however, being so young, I had little knowledge of these events. So, this book has a place on my bookshelf of Canal Zone history.

 

Best-selling author David McCullough won many awards, including The National Book Award for History, for his work The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914. The book is a classic amongst classics, especially for Canal Zone history enthusiasts.

The Path Between the Seas came out in 1977 when the political tides were changing and the relationship between the two nations were dramatically strained. It was the same year that U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed two treaties with Panamanian President General Omar Torrijos to guarantee Panamanian sovereignty over the Canal Zone and, eventual, sole ownership over the Panama Canal. McCullough’s national best-seller was a full selection choice of the Book-of-the-Month Club (a long-time book subscription service).

This 615-page tome covers over 40 years of history and is a foundational account of the building of the Panama Canal. In McCullough’s true style, a lot of detailed information is provided concerning different areas of the Canal construction. He includes intricacies of engineering design, building construction, project management and personnel matters as well as many anecdotes of different workers, leaders, and administrators.

When the book came out, I was still living in the Canal Zone. I would sit on the banks of the Panama Canal and watch the ships go through the locks while reading about its complicated, but fascinating, history. I was proud (and still am very proud) that my dad and my friends’ parents worked for the Panama Canal Company. I loved learning about the foundational work of the French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps and enjoyed finding out that even as early as Christopher Columbus the world was interested in finding a site to build a passageway to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The hard-work, dedication, and sacrifice of so many countries, nations, and people had paid off and still benefits the world today.

By no means is The Path Between the Seas a quick read. In fact, with all of the detailed minutiae McCullough provides, it is-in some places-technical, tedious, and dry, while, in other places, the narrative is engaging and interesting. However, The Path Between the Seas is most certainly a definite read for those interested in Panama Canal history and American history. I can’t think of a better book (except for my book Canal Zone Daughter) to take with you if you are visiting Panama on a business/personal trip or while taking a cruise through the Canal. The American Society of Civil Engineering designated the Panama Canal as of one of the “Seven Wonders of the Modern World”  see InterestingFacts.pdf (ufl.edu) and The Path Beyond the Seas provides its fascinating historical background.

The first time I read Kurt Muse’s book Six Minutes to Freedom, I was riveted. I didn’t want to put it down at all. As I turned each page of the book, dirty dishes piled in my sink, peanut butter sandwiches served for dinner, and ungraded stacks of student papers sat on my desk. The horrific story of Kurt’s experience was stunning. The second time I read the book, it was just as riveting. Six Minutes to Freedom has made its place on my rare must-read again bookshelf.

When I lived in Panama, I never met Kurt. And I’ve still yet to meet him, but I honestly relate to his idealism and his love for his adopted country. Many, many Zonians felt (and still feel) the same way. I admire Kurt’s courage to act on his convictions.

Six Minutes to Freedom tells the story of American Kurt Muse, who grew up in Panama after his parents relocated there in the 1950’s. By 1989, he was the manager of his father’s business located in Panama City and was a member of a group of patriotic Panamanian businessmen fighting against Noriega’s corrupt regime in Panama. He and his friends created an underground radio station called La Voz de la Libertad (The Voice of Liberty) which broadcasted messages against Noriega. A friend’s wife betrayed Muse to the Panama Defense Force (PDF).

The story gets intense when the author was arrested by Noreiga’s men. Imprisoned in the notorious Modelo Prison, Muse was put in solitary confinement. His wife, Annie, however was a school teacher in the Department of Defense school system, so her family—including her husband, Kurt—fell under the protection of the US Government per the Torrijos-Carter treaties. In Six Minutes to Freedom, readers learn about the horrible conditions of a Panamanian prison and the torture suffered by prominent Panamanian businessmen trying to save their beloved country—Panama. In the book’s final chapters, readers can’t help but be mesmerized by the daring actions of the United States Delta Force in their rescue mission of Kurt.

Authors Muse and Gilstrap recapture and document the rescue operation by super-elite Delta forces, and the book reads just as good or better than any historical/political thriller that I’ve ever read. And, incredibly, the story is true! The identities of the Rescue Team have been protected, and I can’t help but admire those men who completed this mission honorably with no desire for a public ovation. (Nevertheless, I would love to meet them and hear more about their story).

I’m not sharing details of this story because I really hope you read the book yourself. I will tell you that I fully appreciate how the authors accurately described the events and anxiety during the terrifying reign of General Manual Noreiga. Though, I had already moved to the States before the invasion, Muse brought me right there on the front lines.

Six Minutes to Freedom is full of action and is a definite page turner. Thank you to brave Americans like the Delta Force and Kurt Muse who are driven by principles and patriotism.

If you would like to learn more, Muse speaks about the rescue to an audience a Panama Canal Zone Museum event. This CSPAN video is about 1 hour and 40 min. long.

[Six Minutes to Freedom] | C-SPAN.org

 

What a treat! Both literally and figuratively!  I am not a cook, and I am not normally drawn to cookbooks, but with a title of The Panama Canal Zone Cookbook by Matthew D. Armistead, I couldn’t resist.  It is a universal truth that food is a potent vessel of nostalgia. Of course, eating the delicious Canal Zone food would definitely bring back memories, just reading the recipes evokes the senses and takes me back home.

Fortunately for me, Matthew’s recipe directions are very clear. In many of the recipes, he even tells you the specific brand name he uses. Thank-you for that! I love that he provides tips and comments to help the non-cook. For example, in his directions for Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce (which is very good, by the way), he writes “Ideally, when poured onto pulled pork it should slide into the cracks and coat the meat. It should not pile up on top of the meat.”  Or for the Carne en Palito recipe, he writes “Place the skewers over the hot part of the grill with the bare handles of the skewers resting on the edge of the grill. This will prevent the handles from burning and make it easier to handle them.”  Seriously, these tidbits are important information to me.  Below his recipe for Balsamic Chimichurri Sauce (yet to make), he provides interesting and helpful information about balsamic vinegars. He details specifications, modifications, substitutions, recommendations, and safety tips, and I felt like he was talking specifically to me—his non-cooking, food-loving fellow Zonian.

The subtitle of Matthew’s book is Back to the Zone; The Multicultural Foods of My Childhood In the Panama Canal Zone. And Matthew delivers. His introduction provides some background of the Canal Zone and his family, and throughout the book, he sprinkles in some nostalgia, memories, and history. So, even if you just read the cookbook, you are going to be transported Back to the Zone. While I am waiting for Matt’s invitation for dinner where I can really sample the recipes, I did make the Gallo Pinto. It was pretty darn good! I can’t wait to try more recipes. I’ll keep you posted.

 

 

My Paradise Lost: Misadventures to Manhood in the Panama Canal Zone. Brian W. Allen. Jan 29,2013

I didn’t know Brian Allen in the Canal Zone. In fact, the first time I met him was at the 2013 Panama Canal Reunion in Orlando. His book, My Paradise Lost, had been just published, and my book Canal Zone Daughter had been published the year before. At the reunion, I had a vendor’s table set up to sell and autograph books, and Brian also had a table to sell and autograph books. Unbeknownst to me, he’d arranged for our tables to be placed next to each other, which I thought was pretty cool. We had so much fun!

Brian calls Canal Zone Daughter, the companion book My Paradise Lost, and I completely agree. My Paradise Lost is told from a male perspective of Canal Zone life from the Atlantic Side, where he lived with his family. In contrast, Canal Zone Daughter presents a female’s perspective of Canal Zone life from the Pacific Side, where my family lived. So, readers of the two books are able to get a more rounded view of living and coming of age in the Panama Canal Zone during roughly the same time period 1960’s-80’s.

My Paradise Lost is a quick, easy read that’s so much fun. A reader can’t help but smile throughout the entire book because the stories crack you up. Brian writes in his folksy and humorous manner, which is exactly is personality.  I love that it comes through in his writing. So many scenes in his book are my favorite: I can’t pick just one.

What I love is how Brian phrases details so that I’m transported right back home. For example, In the chapter “Ghosts of Ft. Randolph,” Brian writes about playing at one of the abandoned Ft. Randolph batteries, a military installation that had been boarded up. On the Pacific side (my side of the Canal Zone), we, too, played in various abandoned spaces that had been chain-linked fenced and topped with barb wire. The excitement and fun poking around and exploring those structures fueled such energy and imagination. There is no comparison to that kind of play today.

To get to the fort, Brian writes “An access road ran around back but we were all about shortcuts. All the better if they cut through impenetrable jungle. The field was overgrown with tall wild grass. Putting a hand out to push some aside, there was a slight tug and sting. A drop of blood oozed from an inch long razor cut.” We did the same on the Pacific side. So many times, we’d cut through the jungle and then realized we were surrounded by saw grass. Then, we would also move much more slowly and carefully to get out of the thicket. We had so many saw-grass cuts on our legs and arms. Since we normally wore t-shirts and shorts, our arms and legs were quite sliced up with grass cuts.

I absolutely enjoy the details that Brian recounts in his stories. If you lived in the Canal Zone, especially the Atlantic Side, this book will bring back many memories. If you’ve never lived in the Canal Zone, My Paradise Lost will give you a vivid description of an American boy’s life growing there. Loved reading it!