Vintage
American Prometheus: The Inspiration for the Major Motion Picture Oppenheimer
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THE INSPIRATION FOR THE ACADEMY AWARD(R)-WINNING MAJOR MOTION PICTURE OPPENHEIMER - "A riveting account of one of history's most essential and paradoxical figures."--Christopher Nolan
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - PULITZER PRIZE WINNER - The definitive biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, 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.
A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Century
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.
"A masterful account of Oppenheimer's rise and fall, set in the context of the turbulent decades of America's own transformation. It is a tour de force." --Los Angeles Times Book Review
"A work of voluminous scholarship and lucid insight, unifying its multifaceted portrait with a keen grasp of Oppenheimer's essential nature.... It succeeds in deeply fathoming his most damaging, self-contradictory behavior." --The New York Times
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Book Details
ISBN:
9780375726262
EAN:
9780375726262
Binding:
Paperback
Pages:
784
Authors:
Kai Bird , Martin J Sherwin
Publisher:
Vintage
Published Date: 2006-11-04
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Very good story. It follows the movie perfectly. Very long book but worth the read.
My Son loved this Book
If you like history this is a good one.
This book is well written and keeps your interest. But for me, it concentrates a little too much on the politics. I know Oppenheimer's left leanings were his Achilles heel that was used by Hoover and McCarthy to discredit him and it was very important to his life. But at least during the ramp up to the Trinity blast I would have preferred more attention paid to the physics and science and less to the politics. Perhaps to Oppenheimer the man the politics were more defining but to the development of the bomb and post war society the science reigned supreme.Still a good book and a pleasure to read about such an epoch defining event.
Who knew a biography could be such a blast? "American Prometheus" packs more punch than a chain reaction at Los Alamos. This book follows the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the brainiac who brought us the atomic bomb and all the ethical dilemmas that came with it.Imagine Sheldon Cooper from "The Big Bang Theory" with a side of Dr. Strangelove. Oppenheimer is both a genius and a walking existential crisis. The authors, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, turn the story of a physicist into a thrilling drama, full of espionage, scientific rivalries, and a touch of poetic angst.Reading "American Prometheus" feels like sitting on a stack of dynamite, waiting for the spark. It's a historical deep dive that’s as entertaining as a summer blockbuster but with more footnotes. Perfect for when you want to feel smart and slightly terrified at the same time. So, grab your Geiger counter and dive in—this book is the bomb!
