Page 315 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

Books CONTEXTS 313
novel, nevertheless, caused some upset in Panama upon a range of subjects from gender relations to political events.
publication. William Penn The Panama Conspiracy. A thriller that
Enrique Jaramillo Levi The Shadow: Thirteen Stories in manages improbably to link all the US’s enemies, from Fidel
Opposition. Short stories by Panama’s pre-eminent (post) Castro through Red China to Osama Bin Laden, in a complex
modern writer, though some tales are scarcely more than plot culminating in a plan to blockade the Panama Canal.
vignettes. You’ll either be seduced by the originality of his ★ Eric Zencey Panama. All but the first chapter is actually
imagination and fluid prose or left baffled and irritated as set in Paris, with a deftly drawn cast of real and imagined
meaning slips through your grasp. More accessible is his characters woven into a historically intriguing murder
edited collection of short stories by Costa Rican and mystery that centres on the financial scandal surrounding
Panamanian women, When New Flowers Bloomed, tackling the Panama Canal debacle.
BIOGRAPHY AND MEMOIR
Darrin Du Ford Is There a Hole in My Boat? Tales of Travel in Entertaining and informative, especially for expats
Panama Without a Car. The author sets out to explore thinking of following a dream, this book follows a couple’s
Panama using public transport or hitching a lift, by dugout retirement in Bocas in the late 1990s, where they
or on foot, aiming to get closer to the life and culture of the eventually established an organic farm.
people than the average tourist; he never seems to turn Leo Mahon Fire Under My Feet: A Memoir of God’s Power in
down a new experience. Panama. The moving story of a compassionate Roman
Christian Giudice Hands of Stone: The Life and Legend of Catholic priest sent in 1963 to a poverty-stricken town in
Roberto Durán. Meticulously researched biography of Panama to found a church.
Panama’s most famous boxer and one of the sport’s all-time Martin Mitchinson The Darien Gap: Travels in the
greats, drawing on plenty of fascinating, original interview Rainforest of Panama. An entertaining account of eighteen
material. A warts-and-all rags-to-riches tale that tracks his months spent in the trackless jungle trying to retrace the
rise to fame from the slums of Panama City, giving a view of route to the Pacific made by the first European, Balboa, in
his contradictory character inside and outside the ring. 1513. It’s a successful blend of personal experience, history
Graham Greene Getting to Know the General: The Story of and local lore.
an Involvement. Greene provides a personal slant on Omar Manuel Noriega and Peter Eisner America’s Prisoner:
Torrijos, the country’s most charismatic leader, whom the The Memoirs of Manuel Noriega. The other side of the story
author befriended during his time in troubled late 1970s of a leader who was vilified, arrested and put on trial by the
and early 1980s Panama. US. A controversial book, it is worth reading for its
Malcolm Henderson Don’t Kill the Cow Too Quick: An revelations about the American attitude to Panama and
Englishman’s Adventures Homesteading in Panama. Latin America.
WILDLIFE
George Angehr, Dodge Engleman and Lorna guide pamphlets on Panama’s flora and fauna, giving
Engleman A Bird-finding Guide to Panama. You need to scientific, Spanish and English names. Available in Panama
read the title carefully – this excellent, detailed guide tells or online (Wrainforestpublications.com).
you where to find the birds and how to get there by car, but Robert Ridgely and John Gwynne A Guide to the Birds
is not a bird identification manual. Details updated on the of Panama. This weighty tome is the birding bible for
web at Waudubonpanama.org. Panama, although it’s in desperate need of updating.
Juan Carlos Q. Navarro Panama National Parks ★ Jorge Ventocilla and Dana Gardner A Guide to the
(Ediciones Balboa). Bilingual Spanish/English guide to Common Birds of Panama City (Smithsonian Tropical
Panama’s national parks accompanied by gorgeous glossy Research Institute & Panama Audubon Society). Excellent,
photos that will make you want to pack your rucksack and beautifully illustrated pocket book aimed at the average
head immediately for the hills. nature-lover – perfect for anyone basing their stay in the
★ Rainforest Publications Panama Field Guides capital and wanting to identify the city’s surprisingly
(numerous titles). This company has produced an excellent abundant birdlife.
series of illustrated laminated concertina-style pocket field

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