J. Robert Oppenheimer is one of the iconic figures of the twentieth century, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb for his country in a time of war, and who later found himself confronting the moral consequences of scientific progress. In this magisterial, acclaimed biography twenty-five years in the making, Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin capture Oppenheimer’s life and times, from his early career to his central role in the Cold War. This is biography and history at its finest, riveting and deeply informative.
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`Certainly, much has been written about Oppenheimer but none of it comes close to matching these two writers' titanic attempt to delineate his character and to put it into its full historical and political perspective. Already acclaimed in the US, American Prometheus is, quite simply, a giant among biographies, a life story that at times reads like a thriller but which is also deeply authoritative and persuasively informative... As part of their research, the authors interviewed dozens of Oppenheimer's friends and relatives, visited scores of archives and libraries and gathered tens of thousands of letters, memoranda and government documents... Even more impressive, however, is the manner in which Bird and Sherwin have exploited this avalanche of material, extracting the most revealing nuggets before combining them in a manner that is often gripping, sometimes moving and occasionally shocking... In the end, [Oppenheimer] was treated in a thoroughly shabby manner by his country, an injustice that has at least been offset by this magisterial biography.' -- Robin McKie, Observer
`Fascinating revelations... Enthralling... Impeccably authoritative... The writers grippingly recreate the scenes in which Oppenheimer marks the sight of the mushroom cloud created by the first test bomb with a now celebrated quote from Hindu scripture - Now I am become death the destroyer of worlds... The attempt in the Fifties to paint Oppenheimer as a traitor... is just as detailed and readable as the more obviously grabby Manhattan Project period... All previous works on the topic are, in the nicest possible sense, blown out of the sky by a book which is, in both the proper and metaphorical meanings, monumental.' -- Mark Lawson, Esquire --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
`Fascinating revelations... Enthralling... Impeccably authoritative... The writers grippingly recreate the scenes in which Oppenheimer marks the sight of the mushroom cloud created by the first test bomb with a now celebrated quote from Hindu scripture - Now I am become death the destroyer of worlds... The attempt in the Fifties to paint Oppenheimer as a traitor... is just as detailed and readable as the more obviously grabby Manhattan Project period... All previous works on the topic are, in the nicest possible sense, blown out of the sky by a book which is, in both the proper and metaphorical meanings, monumental.' -- Mark Lawson, Esquire --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Kai Bird is the author of several works of political journalism and also a contributing editor at The Nation. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and son. Martin J. Sherwin is Professor of English and American History at Tufts University and author of A World Destroyed: Hiroshima and Its Legacies. He and his wife life in Boston and Washington, D.C.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a well crafted and detailed story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and in general it is an impressive effort by the authors - being almost 750 pages long. I guess in an era of sales hype I did find the book jacket inside notes a bit annoying in that the people marketing the book claim that this is the first comprehensive biography on Oppenheimer. Technically speaking one can debate that fine point, and perhaps it is true in narrow terms, but a quick GOOGLE search will show that there are many books and articles on Oppenheimer going back at least 40 years. Plus there have been books and articles on the Oppenheimer-Lawrence relationship. I had already read at least two books including the 1968 book Lawrence and Oppenheimer by Nuel Pharr Davis, and I read it decades ago, plus there are many others, so long ago that I now forget which book I read and which I did not, but I did read the Davis book and it had a lot of similar information.
Now for the present book, it is definitely a well researched and it is a comprehensive book that covers the mostly complete story from his birth to the end and his throat cancer. There are many excellent photographs, lots of notes, and much documentation. It is well written and well crafted as a book and presents the human side of the man along with all the political pressures.
In an era of The Patriot Act, I thought that the book had a number of very important points and lessons for humanity, and also the price of dissent in our free society. Here we follow the story of Oppenheimer and how his worked and sweated under a lot of pressure to make the first few weapons, but having made them he realized the implications and their danger. He was strongly against the next step - that of making the hydrogen bomb and thought the plutonium nukes were themselves dangerous enough. As we already knew in general, but perhaps not in the detail presented here in this new book, that his opposition to mega-bomb cost him his security clearance and tarnished his reputation. Oppenheimer - according to the present book - thought the hydrogen bomb would never be used since it would cause too much devastation and was a waste of money. But it was too big a concept for the military to ignore and it went forward. In retrospect he has been correct, in fact since Japan in 1945, almost 60 years ago, no nuclear weapon of any type has been used.
Some of the facts reviewed in the book seem to back up Oppenheimer's concern that things might get out of control. We learn that the US produced 70,000 nuclear weapons, almost one bomb for every 2000 people in the USSR, and the total cost was 5.5 trillion dollars. It is no wonder the USSR went broke as they tried to keep up. Also, that sum is about equal, but slightly less than the total US government debt today, a staggering number. Now, as Oppenheimer had feared the technology is spreading.
This is an excellent book on Oppenheimer, but ignore the hype, it is not the only book.
5 stars - great read.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a hefty tome that grips in a way that few biographies do. A book of 3 acts, the first covers Oppenheimers early years and rise through academia as well as events on a personal level that shape his later life. The second act deals with Manhattan, Trinity and Hiroshima but it is arguably the 3rd act concentrating on Oppenheimers fall from political grace that is the most satisfying.
The true genius of this book is that it succeeds in placing the man in the broader political picture of the time and revealing a character that was as much ahead of his own time as he was misunderstood and perhaps naive.
The true genius of this book is that it succeeds in placing the man in the broader political picture of the time and revealing a character that was as much ahead of his own time as he was misunderstood and perhaps naive.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By DiveDoc
Format:Paperback
This book is interesting, even essential, reading for anyone interested in Robert Oppenheimer, but deeply flawed because it more-or-less ignores his development as a scientist and emphasises his rise and fall as a political figure. Some authors have suggested that Oppenheimer's early work in quantum physics, particularly on stellar physics, was good enough to have justified a Nobel laureate; it is certain that his physics was respected by his peers and that Nobel laureates respected his judgement, a vital contribution to his leadership at Los Alamos.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oppenheimer - a man of his times.
I have not yet finished this (fat) book, but it is well written and provides a fascinating insight into one of the most interesting figures of the 20th century. Read more
Published 1 month ago by DRISC
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prometheus unbound?
I have read the other reviews and would just like to say that Oppenheimer is a subject that I have always found fascinating. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Aeschylus
3.0 out of 5 stars
Less politics more physics
I was a little disappointed with this. Though well written, undoubtedly well researched I was worn down with the political theatre that was played out in Oppenheimers life. Read more
Published 22 months ago by paperbackliker
5.0 out of 5 stars
dazzling portrait of a celebrity intellectual, doer, and political...
It is rare to read a biography that is so rich in detail, so clear in ideas, and so beautifully written that it can be counted as literature. Read more
Published on 14 April 2011 by rob crawford
2.0 out of 5 stars
Well Researched but Poorly Delivered
Informative and exhaustive account of the life of Oppenheimer. However I found the biographical narrative disorganised and disjointed. Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2010 by Stephen Andrew Keogh
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great biography!
Sorry, don't have time to do a full review, but I picked this up at the airport, and it gripped me throughout the holiday! A great biography!
Published on 31 Aug 2009 by A. McCaddon
5.0 out of 5 stars
american prometheus Robert Oppenheimer
A well researched and evocative book. It has a cinematic narrative, a screenplay feel, which takes the reader back to those worrying yet exciting political times, not as a mere... Read more
Published on 9 May 2009 by Baz
3.0 out of 5 stars
tiny print makes reading difficult
Of course this is a well written account of Robert Oppenheimer's life but why have the publishers been so mean as to produce a large book in such tiny text? Read more
Published on 2 Feb 2009 by J.M.R.
5.0 out of 5 stars
huge biography
This is one of the best biographys i have ever read. you are guided into the mind of a complex conflicted individual. the accunt of oppenheimer's security hearing is masterful. Read more
Published on 6 Feb 2008 by Dr. P. Cramer
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds."
To help their readers understand the life and career of Robert Oppenheimer, Bird and Sherwin provide about as much information as most people can absorb and digest. Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2005 by Robert Morris
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