Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal

Through several voices speaking in poems, readers learn about the darker side of the construction of the Panama Canal. The workforce was blatantly segregated by skin color (those of European extraction were the "gold people" who earned more and had nice living quarters; the "silver people" were darker-skinned, earned far less, lived in substandard housing, and were subject to dangerous, even deadly working conditions. We hear the voices of the rain forest as well, most vividly the howler monkeys and the trees. They add a STEM aspect that rounds out a layered story of history, injustice, environment, engineering and conservation.

A lovely story set during the construction of the Panama Canal, and written in short poems from the perspective of multiple people and to some extent, even animals and nature. The story highlights the variety of nationalities working together, some of the power dynamics present, and I think stirs the imagination in a way that encourages further study. Apart from the value of setting, I didn't find the story nearly as memorable as Engle's Cuba books-- The Firefly Letters or The Surrender Tree.

This is another book that I picked up for my nephews as I thought it would be a good one that would help them get familiar with the Panama Canal.

I have never read any book by this author before, so I don't know if all of her books are written this way but I really had a pleasurable time reading this one. The book was not just spilt in long chapters but into sections. There were the voices of the people building the canal and then there were the voices from the forest. The animals who's home was being destroyed. I loved them all. Although reading the voices of the animals was fun and entertaining. Each pages was a quick snippet of a voice. It kind of like poetry. Also, there were no extremely big words that my nephews would not be able show more to pronounce and therefore, they would be able to read this book on their own. This book is a creative way to teach children about the Panama Canal. I will check out more books by this author. show less

I'm not sure I'm a fan of the verse style of this novel, but the variety of viewpoints is helpful and the short sections make reading quick. Until this book, it never occurred to me to wonder what happened to the land, animals, and people in the area flooded in the creation of the Panama Canal.

RGG: History in verse is appealing. Personification of nature destroyed. Imperial America destroying and making subservient indigenous people and people of color to expand wealth. Reading Interest: 10-14.

Engaging verse from multiple perspectives recounts the multicultural history of the Panama Canal labor force. The unfolding story tells of constructions of race, environmental damages, and exploited yet resilient people. Historical Note, Selected References.

One hundred years ago, the world celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, which connected the world’s two largest oceans and signaled America’s emergence as a global superpower. It was a miracle, this path of water where a mountain had stood—and creating a miracle is no easy thing. Thousands lost their lives, and those who survived worked under the harshest conditions for only a few silver coins a day.