Instruct: Classify an Amazon review as either positive or negative.
Query: Path Between The Seas by David McCullough--brief review

Great, very long, book with much (sometimes too much) detail. It divides into 3 parts. Part 1 is all about background and the progress of the French in trying to build the Panamá Canal. That occured before 1900. Part 2 is all about the background and process the United States went through in making its decision to build the canal in Panama (and not in Nicaragua). Part 3 is about the actual building of the canal from the early 1900s until its completion in 1914. I'm so glad I'd read this book before going through the canal recently. Some friends of mine bogged down in Part 1 and didn't get into the rest; so one might consider starting with Parts 2 and 3 (although having the background of Part 1 certainly enriches the total experience).