Panama Fever: Digging Down Gold Mountain - Softcover

W. B. Garvey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0982229410 ISBN 13: 9780982229415

Publisher: Jonkro Books, 2009

Synopsis

A tragic story of love, corruption and ambition, W. B. Garvey's novel Panama Fever: Digging Down Gold Mountain serves as a vivid tribute to one of the most audacious, monumental engineering feats ever undertaken, even as it uncovers the forgotten story of those who gave everything to make that achievement possible. Panama Fever narrates the story of two young men recruited for the arduous work of constructing the Panama Canal. They are among the one hundred thousand West Indians who helped build the canal, nearly thirty thousand of whom perished during the process, mostly from mosquito-borne diseases such as yellow fever and malaria. By focusing on the story of these young men, Garvey is able to depict the human dimension of this vast, trying historical episode that made possible the dream of connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The novel opens with the story of the developing friendship between the two protagonists: Thomas Judah, a gadfly and the illegitimate son of a wealthy merchant, and Byron, a humble, trusting orphan fresh from a sugar plantation. Soon after they arrive at Colón Harbor to work on the canal, a powerful earthquake demolishes their work camp. Badly injured, Thomas falls in love with the beautiful young Creole woman who nurses him back to health and who, to their mutual frustration, intends to become a nun.

Meanwhile, Byron, who has been taken under the wing of a local businesswoman running a salon and brothel, is falsely accused of being an insurgent and ends up in prison, where he narrowly escapes the firing squad and is brutally tortured. Contending against disease, political corruption, and other enormous difficulties impeding the construction of the canal, they pursue their dreams but find their views of success and happiness starting to diverge despite their shared beginning. Thomas has a chance to strike it rich with a claim to a secret lode of gold in Venezuela, and as the novel hurtles toward its climax, he faces a devastating revelation while Byron must make a fateful decision.

W. B. Garvey invested years researching the historical background of Panama Fever, an imaginative reconstruction of a lost chapter of the Caribbean and African-American experience.

A thrilling adventure, crackling with action and historical detail, Panama Fever brings to life the triumphs and tragedies of the men and women who left their homes and loved ones and helped fulfill humanity's dream for a passage through the isthmus of Panama. A monumental undertaking spanning over thirty years, the canal's successful construction would change the world forever by joining the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Panama Fever, an imaginative reconstruction of a major chapter of our history, is an ode to the unsung heroes who made this long-yearned-for wish a reality, a wish for which over thirty thousand gave their lives. A profoundly human story, it will appeal to those with a taste for daring adventures and anyone who has ever felt oppressed and dared to risk it all for the dream of a better life.

About this title

About the Author

W. B. Garvey is a relative of the famous pan-Africanist and Jamaican National Hero, Marcus Garvey. While going through his deceased father's papers, Garvey learned that his grandfather had been a railroad engineer who worked on the Panama Canal during its construction. That revelation sparked years of research and correspondence that led to the writing of Panama Fever: Digging Down Gold Mountain. A classically-trained violinist, W.B. Garvey has performed as soloist with renowned symphony orchestras and as a recitalist in major U.S. concert halls. Garvey has appeared with the New York City Opera and the Black Music Repertory Ensemble and made studio recordings with major artists such as Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett and Wynton Marsalis as well as playing for over a hundred film scores including Martin Scorsese's Age of Innocence, Spike Lee's Malcolm X and Woody Allen's Purple Rose of Cairo. W.B. Garvey was born in Los Angeles and is a graduate of the University of Southern California. He has lived in Kingston, Jamaica, and London, England, and currently resides in New York City.

Review

Told with an equal amount of suspense and humour, the author created characters who are interesting and memorable. Panama Fever is a gift from Garvey, a relative of national hero Marcus Garvey, and a classically trained violinist. It is a story of friendship, betrayal, greed, tragedy, human suffering and frailties, and hope, set among one of the greatest engineering undertakings of all time. It looks at the triumphs and failures of the workers on the canal from a fictional perspective, but which truly reflects the hardships and problems they had faced, and is a reminder of the contributions that many Jamaicans made to one of the most important commercial waterways in the world. It is fittingly dedicated to all the unsung Jamaican heroes who gave their lives for Panama's great cause. --Jamaica Gleaner

This work of historical fiction tells the story of the two young men caught up in the maelstrom of danger and adventure while digging the Canal. The two friends are each destined to follow his own path and deal with the demands of French and American bosses as well as local insurrectionists. Garvey has researched his text with care and there is a plethora of historical detail to flesh out the narrative. He writes with care of the virgin jungle that forms the environment for the narrative:
Thomas breathed in happily to see them back on solid ground as the forest welcomed them with an embroidered veil made of white and yellow orchids shaped like stars and rows of wild hibiscus the shade of blood-red oranges . . . In the shaded grove sprang airy epiphytes and bearded lichen above the lush green ferns sprayed at the feet of the mighty cedro espinos.
Garvey's talent is strong and palpable. He writes with gusto of the many variants of hardship that keep the story rip-roaring from event to tragedy. His eye is true and his compassion for the Jamaicans of the canal is always present. --Jamaica Observer

This is definitely quality fiction at its best- a breath of fresh air in today s absurd trend of the merchandizing of fictional junk. Why bother reading a story created from someone's total fancy when the historical reality of this novel is so much more interesting? --The Silver People Heritage Foundation

With a sentence, Garvey has the ability to set an intense emotional mood . . . Garvey's novel is not just accurate and moving historical fiction. Panama Fever is a humanitarian piece of art. --NewPages.com

Love pushes people through life, but that's not the sole thing that drives them. Panama Fever: Digging Down Gold Mountain is the story of two Jamaican immigrants who seize the opportunity to join in the Panama Canal project to earn their fortunes. Thomas and Byron face an unusual story of falling in love and facing the crises that their life seems to have brought up in the process. Riveting reading, Panama Fever is an excellent story that should be strongly considered. --Midwest Book Review

A finely orchestrated work that combines meticulous research into the history of the building of the Panama Canal, with stories of the courageous West Indian men and women who labored to build it. W.B. Garvey has created a vivid and moving testament to some of history s unsung heroes and heroines. --Lorna Goodison, author of From Harvey River and Tamarind Season

Edition details

• Publisher: Jonkro Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0982229410
• ISBN 13: 9780982229415
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320