The Great Divide

A TODAY Show Read With Jenna Book Club Pick! A powerful novel about the construction of the Panama Canal,casting light on the unsung people who livedlovedand labored there It is said that the canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history. But firstit must be built. For Franciscoa local fisherman who resents the foreign powers clamoring for a slice of his countrynothing is more upsetting than the decision of his sonOmarto work as a digger in the excavation zone. But for Omarwhose upbringing was quiet and lonelythis job offers a chance to finally find connection. Ada Bunting is a bold sixteen-year-old from Barbados who arrives in Panama as a stowaway alongside thousands of other West Indians seeking work. Alone and with no resourcesshe is determined to find a job that will earn enough money for her ailing sister’s surgery. When she sees a young man–Omar–who has collapsed after a grueling shiftshe is the only one who rushes to his aid. John Oswald has dedicated his life to scientific research and has journeyed to Panama in single-minded pursuit of one goal: eliminating malaria. But nowhis wifeMarianhas fallen ill herselfand when he witnesses Ada’s bravery and compassionhe hires her on the spot as a caregiver. This fateful decision sets in motion a sweeping tale of ambitionloyaltyand sacrifice. Searing and empatheticThe Great Divide explores the intersecting lives of activistsfishmongerslaborersjournalistsneighborsdoctorsand soothsayers–those rarely acknowledged by history even as they carved out its course. Named a Most Anticipated Book By: Washington Post * Book Riot * Electric Literature * LitHub * ELLE * The Millions * Goodreads * Reader’s Digest