Customer Reviews

The Banana Men: American Mercenaries and Entrepreneurs in Central America, 1880-1930

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the least appreciated fields of American foreign policy is the role American mercenaries, entrepeneurs and government officials played in the Central American isthmus prior to WWII. The highlight of this time and place is the Panama Canal of course; but there is an entire history separate from Panama that occurred just to the north in the countries of Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatamela and El Salvador. This book focuses on the history of these countries in the time frame of 1880 - 1930. Why this time? The answer is that during this time, this area moved out of the influence of Europe and Europeans, and passed under the influence of the USA. It is during this time that the phrase "Banana Republic" becomes common as the events in these countries were driven by the banana industry or those involved in it.

The book gives equal attention to both local actors such as Bonilla, Manuel, and Castro (not Fidel), and those from the USA such as Lee Christmas, Guy Molony, and of course higher ups in the White House such as Taft, Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. The emphasis is on events in the isthmus itself, and many pages detail the battles and machinations of local officials.

The story painted in this book follows the general outline. First, whites discover the feasibility of banana production en masse within Central America. Second, whites from Europe and America move in to make money of the banana business. In doing so, they run into locals and the rivalries that dominate local politics, and are inexplicably drawn in. Washington occasionaly tries to force peace with ironclad warships of the coastal cities and battalions of marines and bluejackets. But this only works as long as the soldiers and ships are present, which is some of the time. The rest of the time alternates between civil wars within countries, and wars between the various isthmus countries. After the first chapter, one comes to realize that this represents one long soap opera. The concept of "dividing the spoils" rarely occurs and everyone fights to win it all.

The book is not long, but is quite tedious to read. Instead of focusing on several key events, the authors frame the book as one long timeline where each event is given 1 - 2 pages. As such, the list of characters, places, and events quickly becomes too much to remember and one page blends into the next. The book includes several pictures in the middle; these should have been included after each chapter to break the text and aid the reader in understanding what is being told. All in all, an interesting subject but not that good a book. There are probably better works to read to learn about this subject.

I am one of the co-authors, but I would advise readers who are attracted by the adventurous title to skip Chapter One and begin with Chapter Two and so on to the end of the book and then return and read Chapter One. If the reader is interested in analysis and interpretation, he/she can begin with Chapter One.

A wonderful book about a fascinating time in history. Lee Christmas, Sam Zemurray and all the other characters from the era are rescued from undeserved obscurity. Information not found elsewhere made this a worthwhile read. Having lived in La Ceiba, Honduras and Guatemala, this book brought back the smells and taste of tropical America. For anybody interested in the virtually unknown escapades of soldiers of fortune and crazy capitalists, this is the book for you. If anyone knows of similar books that can be purchased, please e-mail me. I have some, but the early publication dates and lack of market for republications makes it difficult to find classics by Beals, Batson and Cunningham among others.

I found this to be an excellent rendition of some rather brutal and violent events. The cast of characters could fill a dozen novels, but they were all real people. The corruption, the revolutions, the mercenaries, the battles the the battles are all detailed in a readable style.

This book serves as a guide for the men who fought in Central America from the 1880's through the great depression. It recounts their exploits but really does not get into their motives. Simply calling them soldiers of fortune does not make sense when their exploits are explored in detail. I think this book has value as a starting guide except for the fact that it requires a lot of knowledge on the history to begin with. The author's attempts at trying to determine which groups were responsible for which raids leave a large scholarly gap to be filled. This books value is limited and really should only be used as a quick review of what happened.

This is a wonderful read. Vivid accounts of mercenaries and capitalists and their deeds in the early part of the century. The research put into this book is impressive. They provide little known facts about the individuals central to the travesty brought by American involvement. The lives of Lee Christmas, Samuel Zemurray and others from the period are fascinating. Their stories deserved to be told and this book has done a great job of doing so.

This book serves as a very detailed account of U.S. influences in Central America, specifically Honduras and Nicaragua, from 1880 to 1930. Certain political charachters are discussed more than others, as the authors see fit.

The first chapter was very boring, but the book really picked up after that. There are several different people in the book that are referenced throughout and it was at times difficult to remember who was who, but this is a great reference book for someone interested in the specific time period.