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Silver People: A Tale from the Panama Canal

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( 834 ratings, 177 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Silver People: A Tale from the Panama Canal by Margarita Engle is a historical novel that delves into the experiences of diverse individuals working to construct the Panama Canal in the early 20th century. Told through multiple voices, it highlights the struggles, hopes, and enduring spirit of labourers brought in from various parts of the world, particularly those from the Caribbean. The narrative explores themes of resilience and justice amidst the challenging conditions and cultural conflicts surrounding this monumental engineering feat.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're intrigued by historical events and diverse perspectives, as it brings to life the challenges faced by the varied workforce during the creation of a monumental structure. Set during the construction of the Panama Canal, this young adult novel includes a blend of poetry and multiple viewpoints, offering a unique and emotive look at environmental and social themes.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

"How can such a narrow bridge of land be so important?"

One hundred years ago, the world celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal. It was a miracle. Where a mountain once stood was now a path of water connecting the world's two largest oceans. But creating a miracle is no easy task.

For only a few coins a day, teenagers Mateo and Henry endure homesickness, backbreaking labour, ferocious heat, landslides, and disease as they dig through the mountain with little more than a shovel. Thousands around them lose their lives, while displaced souls like local herb girl Anita, and the endangered rainforest itself, do what they can to survive.

This verse novel tells the story of one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, as only Newbery Honour-winning author Margarita Engle could tell it.

Silver People: A Tale from the Panama Canal captures the historical essence and the human spirit of perseverance needed to accomplish such a monumental task.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Silver People: A Tale from the Panama Canal by Margarita Engle is praised for its rich historical detail and lyrical verse, vividly depicting the diverse perspectives of those who built the canal. Reviewers highlight how Engle captures the emotional and physical struggles faced by the workers, as well as the environmental impact of the project. The book is often described as both educational and moving, effectively bringing to life a significant historical event through engaging storytelling.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780702253294

Publisher: University of Queensland Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 26 March 2014

Country: Australia

Imprint: University of Queensland Press

Audience: Teenage

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 16.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 199.0mm

Weight: 220g

Pages: 224

About the Author

Margarita Engle is a Cuban-American poet and novelist whose work has been published in many countries. Her books include The Surrender Tree, a Newbery Honor book, The Poet Slave of Cuba, Tropical Secrets, The Firefly Letters, and Hurricane Dancers.

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