The Great Divide

The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez, 321 pages

In 1907, able-bodied people (mostly men) were flocking to Panama in search of work helping to build the long-promised Panama Canal. Along with the backbreaking work, the influx of workers also had to deal with malaria, mudslides, and a segregated social order that placed white Americans well above the people of color who worked hard to make their lives possible. This novel brings to life the atmosphere surrounding the Canal project, from the migrant workers to American doctors fighting against malaria to native Panamanians who struggled to balance their desire to earn money with their dislike of the not-quite-colonization of their country. It's a beautifully told meditation on progress and the impact it has on individuals instead of the world economy. Well worth a read.

The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath / John Steinbeck, read by Dylan Baker,  464 p.

The powerful story of the Joads, forced off their Oklahoma farm and trying desperately to make it to California where, they are told, the work is plentiful and the living is easy, resonates today.  Steinbeck makes the hopelessness of the Joads' situation plain; they are at the mercy of forces they can not control, such as the California growers' cooperatives who keep wages horribly low, and the police who see the 'Okies' as only a problem to be driven away.  A grim, dark story that's enlivened by extremely vivid characters and human warmth.  A first-rate reading, complete with atmospheric harmonica interludes, by Dylan Baker.  Can't think of anything better for listening on a road trip west.