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| American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer | 
 enlarge | Authors: Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $18.95
Buy New: $7.18
You Save: $11.77 (62%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $7.18
Avg. Customer Rating:  (74 reviews)
Sales Rank: 20627
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 784
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.2 x 1.7
ISBN: 0375726268
Dewey Decimal Number: 530.092
EAN: 9780375726262
ASIN: 0375726268
Publication Date: April 11, 2006
Release Date: April 11, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
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.
Amazon.com Review
In IAmerican 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 Iafter/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 IAmerican 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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 69 more reviews...
 A Splendid Book on a Promethian Character! January 3, 2009
This is truly an excellent book that definitively answers why Oppenheimer was the right leader for the Manhattan Project. It is an absolute pleasure to read. br /br /Oppenheimer led the brightest minds on the planet to crack the secrets of the atom. With colleagues like Enrico Fermi, Werner Heisenberg, Niels Bohr, Max Planck, Albert Einstein, and topics like Occam's razor, Lorentz transformation, Maxwell's equations... it is the dawn of theoretical and quantum physics. A revolutionary time for physics, culture, and politics.
 American Prometheus November 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
November 18, 2008br /br /Ardsley, PAbr /br /I don't know how a biography of Oppenheimer can be written without any real discussion of Physics or the engineering achievements of the Manhattan Project, but that's what this did. I assume the authors decided technical discussions would not appeal to readers. I found this omission disappointing.br /br /I saw the book quite differently than most of the other reviewers. The man revealed in this biography is hardly a man I would label great or near great. Shockingly, over the course of his life Oppenheimer attempted to murder one of his teachers, was at least an enthusiastic near communist, encouraged his troubled wife's alcoholism, was a serial liar, was a multiple adulterer, had an affair with the wife of a close friend, offered his infant daughter to a friend for adoption because he was too busy with work and more. Call me old fashion, but this was too much for me.br /br /The authors repeatedly point out Oppenheimer's sense of social justice, often equating communism with the fight for social justice. (It is curious that I never got that social justice = communism formula when reading "Gulag Archipelago.") Do 1930 American supporters of communism bear any responsibility for the atrocities of Stalinist Russia? Didn't all those great minds of the 1930's have some responsibility to investigate the reality of life in the Soviet Union?br /br /Oppenheimer is lauded in the book for his depth of knowledge. In the 1930's and 1940's he supported the communists in the Spanish Civil War and regaled those veterans. Did he never read Orwell's "Homage to Catalonia?" It was released soon after Orwell's return from Spain.br /br /Multiple times in this biography the question is asked: Why did we drop the bomb on an essentially defeated enemy?" Have the authors not read Eugene Sledge's gripping autobiography "With the Old Breed" about his nightmarish experiences on Okinawa with the USMC? If you have the courage, read of this Alabaman's experiences fighting that same "defeated" Japanese foe.br /br /I believe the authors allowed their sympathy for Oppenheimer to cloud their vision. They excused horrible behavior and judgment. They were quick to slander General Groves, President Truman and others. These men were unjustly represented and given a one dimensional mention, all negative.br /br /There is much to learn of the tragic figure of Oppenheimer in this book. It is a worthwhile book, but I do not believe worthy of either a Pulitzer prize or space on your bookshelf.br /br /Semper Fi,br /Joe Rooneybr /
 First rate biography August 28, 2008
This is an excellent biography of Oppenheimer.While it seems likely the authors started out sympathetic towards their subject it seems to be a fairly well balanced book which tends to focus on his associations and his friends and whether he could be considered a national security threat as he was eventually found to be. In that sense the book can be considered to be political in nature. However it is very well researched and written and the authours conclusions seem reasonable. From its first pages the book makes clear that the ultimate issue the book will consider is the reasonableness of the governments decision to pull Oppenheimers security clearance. The actions of the goverment seem almost ridiculous now but a weakness of the book is the failure to consider the "tenor of the times". It is always easy to Monday morning quarterback. Even given this the conclusions of the authors that pulling Oppenheimers clearance was unsupported by the facts should have been obvious even under the then existing political climate. All in all a very good book.
A brilliant presentation of history August 22, 2008
The wife purchased this book for me as a Christmas present. What she didn't know is it is arguably one of the finest examples of biography, writing, and history. This book delivers. It is the type of work most historians wish they were capable of writing. br /br /It has taken years to research and write. In many cases first-hand accounts and personal interviews with some of the keenest minds of the time were used to present Oppenheimer's story in a clear and fascinating way.br /br /This work starts with the early life of Oppenhemier and chronicles his parents desire to make his life better than theirs. It shows how they struggled to provide him with an education and helped cultivate a keen mind. The book continues to show his early life, choice in collegiate education, and an impressive foundation in academia. It obviously follows his time in service to our nation and his post war activities.br /br /Interestingly enough, a reader will find his work to be contemporary to the finest minds in the study of cosmology and physics at the time. br /br /Oppenheimer was a man of brilliance. He was also a man plagued by rights and wrongs he struggled with his entire life. His bomb saved thousands of lives by killing thousands. His science changed the world and we live with the ramifications of the post atomic age today.br /br /His name remains inescapably associated with these conundrums and puzzles that have plagued 20th century history ever since. Some of the most interesting reading consisted of information regarding his affiliations with known communists and socialist organizers before and after the war. Especially, interesting information on how he was treated in the McCarthy era.br /br /I think in a way, the authors point out Oppenheimer's own personal failures and faults, as duplication of the historical record. As much of a place he holds as critical mind of the 20th century...he was a hard drinker, a smoker, and eventually the reader can develop a sense that he was a flawed and challenged person much like the rest of us. I would, however, say he was a far more tortured soul than most of us ever know.br /br /A review of this book simply doesn't do it justice. This is awesome work worthy of the awards it has received and more. It is truly a magnum opus in the area of history. It is easy to read and hard to put down. This book is arguably one of the finest books I've ever read.br /
Missing book June 19, 2008
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
I cannot find this book. It came with one other book that I am now reading. I can't remember if this book was actually including in the package (as indicating by the packing statement)and it got immediately misplaced or accidentally thrown out with the package or if it was inadvertently not included in the package when it was sent to me.
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