false 80571 9 In <I>American Prometheus</I>, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin delve deep into J. Robert Oppenheimer's life and deliver a thorough and devastatingly sad biography of the man whose very name has come to represent the culmination of 20th century physics and the irrevocable soiling of science by governments eager to exploit its products. Rich in historical detail and personal narratives, the book paints a picture of Oppenheimer as both a controlling force and victim of the mechanisms of power. <p> By the time the story reaches Oppenheimer's fateful Manhattan Project work, readers have been swept along much as the project's young physicists were by fate and enormous pressure. The authors allow the scientists to speak for themselves about their reactions to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, avoiding any sort of preacherly tone while revealing the utter, horrible ambiguity of the situation. For instance, Oppenheimer wrote in a letter to a friend, "The thing had to be done," then, "Circumstances are heavy with misgiving." <p> Many biographies of Oppenheimer end here, with the seeds of his later pacifism sown and the dangers of mixing science with politics clearly outlined. But Bird and Sherwin devote the second half of this hefty book to what happened to Oppenheimer <I>after</I> the bomb. For a short time, he was lionized as the ultimate patriot by a victorious nation, but things soured as the Cold War crept forward and anti-communist witchhunts focused paranoia and anti-Semitism onto Oppenheimer, destroying his career and disillusioning him about his life's work. Devastated by the atom bomb's legacy of fear, he became a vocal and passionate opponent of the Strangelovian madness that gripped the world because of the weapons he helped develop. <p> Twenty-five years of research went into creating <I>American Prometheus</I>, and there has never been a more honest and complete biography of this tragic scientific giant. The many great ironies of Oppenheimer's life are revealed through the careful reconstruction of a wealth of records, conversations, and ideas, leaving the clearest picture yet of his life. <I>--Therese Littleton</I> 1932215 2005 American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer total:494|5:199|4:203|3:80|2:7|1:5| 494 2066 1006 149 3 11 false false Sat Oct 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 08 10:40:06 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 03 14:16:01 -0700 2009 ...more...]]> 3 2 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon May 21 14:26:52 -0700 2007 Thu Dec 06 16:11:43 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 2 false false Sat Aug 16 19:02:57 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 16 19:04:15 -0700 2008 3 1 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Thu Jan 17 19:08:49 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 17 19:09:01 -0800 2008
First of all, I agree with most of the previous reviws. This is well-written, thoroughly researched, the most detailed ever produced on Op., etc. But I am unconvinced by the a...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Aug 29 19:53:35 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 00:12:02 -0700 2009 Robert Oppenheimer was also a tragic character. A complex, multi-faceted genius, who lead the...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 23 11:08:52 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 24 17:26:11 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 14 08:27:27 -0700 2009 Thu May 14 08:28:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 05 09:32:51 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:32:51 -0800 2009 The story of the Manhattan Project has been told so often that this biography appropriately concentrates on Oppenheimer's formative years and the aftermath of his work, rather than on the scientific achievement itself. Nobody disputes the authors' thoroughness or their nuanced understanding of their...

more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Mar 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 02 14:27:52 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 16 14:33:08 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 21:53:48 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 09 18:21:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jul 11 03:39:54 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 04 01:32:00 -0700 2009
J. Robert Oppenheimer was a fascinating man. Born & raised in New York City, he received an extremely well-balanced, progressive education. Though his interests included the history o...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Feb 23 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 29 23:39:51 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 20:38:57 -0800 2009
I am giivng it 5 stars, but really want to give it 4 1/2. I don;t understand the people who complained that it jumped around too much. I was waiting for it and it never happened. The authors followed a reasonable chronological order, with occasi...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Aug 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 14:51:29 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 19:02:28 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Feb 05 15:01:32 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 15:06:28 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 02 23:25:03 -0700 2009 Sat Nov 07 09:08:43 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jul 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 20:00:28 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 20:00:46 -0700 2009
At times it reads like an ode to science, educat...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jan 20 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 17 15:04:08 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 17:24:16 -0800 2009 1 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Oct 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 15:27:43 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 06:26:38 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jun 15 11:34:55 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 17 08:23:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Oct 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 10 18:49:48 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 10:02:34 -0700 2009 more...]]>