"I Took Panama" Reviewed
Online, May 5, 2013 (Newswire.com) - "The star of Leiton's taut, unassuming short novel is French Colonel Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla, a pivotal figure not only in the planning and construction of the Panama Canal but also in the planning and construction of Panama itself, having helped that country to break away from Colombia.
In quick, resonant chapters, Leiton takes readers through five decades in the life of this remarkable but largely forgotten figure, along the way illuminating the power-players and historical events of the early 20th century with dozens of well-chosen black-and-white photos scattered throughout the text.
Even readers of David McCullough's fine history of the Panama Canal, The Path Between The Seas, will find new perspectives and new insights in Leiton's very enjoyable novel."
- The Historical Novel Society
See full review here: http://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/i-took-panama-the-story-of-philippe-bunau-varilla/
"I Took Panama: The Story of Philippe Bunau-Varilla" a historic novel based on the life of a Frenchman who "invented" a contry in order to complete the Panama Canal.
This work of fiction covers five decades of Bunau-Varilla's very full and accomplished life: from his beginning as a student of the Polytechnic School in Paris; his accidental ascension to General Director of the canal construction when he was barely twenty-six years old; his lucrative business period on the isthmus; his covert lobbying of the United States to discard Nicaragua as the ideal site for canal construction, and finally, his controversial participation in the secession of Panama from Colombia when the country had rejected a treaty that he had helped to negotiate.
The intervention of Bunau-Varilla forever changed the histories of the United States, Colombia, Nicaragua, and Panama. This ambitious and forward-thinking man set into motion a series of events that led, not only to the construction of the Panama Canal, but to the liberation of Panama from Colombia. His actions affected people and politics on two continents, and his accomplishments forever changed the course of history. Philippe Bunau-Varilla's story is one of trial and error, and ultimately, of triumph.
"I Took Panama" is available for sale on Amazon.com and iTunes.