Who looks for some scientific popularisation will be disappointed. There is virtually no physics here, except for a historical take of what brought Oppenheimer where he was - at the head of the atomic bomb project - in the early Fourties. The great achievement of this biography lies rather in the exploration of the implications of Oppenheimer's triumphs and defeats for society at large.

'One scientist had been excommunicated, but all scientists were now on notice that there could be serious consequences for those who challenged State policies' (Chapter 37)

Indeed, a lot of pages and effort are spent in the effort to document Bird's stance on what Oppenheimer's farce Security Clearance confirmation hearing meant for the role of the scientist in Twentieth Century's American society: are people of knowledge supposed to limit their contribution to technical support of the current State policy, or do they have the right - and responsibility - to help determine what uses of their work are legitimate or not? Also, should a Nation only trust politically orthodox experts, or should they welcome contributions from a wide range of points of view, and respect the right of their citizens to hold - or have held in the past - extreme and discordant views and still take part to the active political and intellectual life of their Country? Finally, is strict security or a politic of "candour" with the public and with foreign powers more effective in avoiding war and destruction? Bird concludes that, whatever the answers to these questions, Oppenheimer's ordeal was the final indictment of Roosevelt's liberal America by McCarthist politics of extreme conservatism, and that it brought with it the fall of the 'messianic scientist' from the pedestal where WWII's had put them, largely through Oppenheimer's team achievements at Los Alamos. I am not sure whether Los Alamos was an achievement at all, or whether it was Oppenheimer who quasi-singlehandedly brought all this to life, but the case is made convinvingly. I will need to read more on the subject, and to hear different opinions.
Interestingly enough, the great shift in the image of the Scientist in 1950s' America, largely due to the publication of the conclusions of Oppenheimer's confirmation board (at least this is what the book states), resonates with good ol' Geddafi's Green Book, where he argues that, as members of a profession don't meddle into the way in which other professions go about their business, so journalists and scientists should not be allowed to meddle into the way politicians and the Government go about THEIR business.
I leave the conclusions to y'all, about this one.
The same approach is to be found in the treatment of the Los Alamos project: the focus is on the political power balance, and on the accurately documented shift between the real reasons for the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan, and the propaganda. Bird chillingly reminds us of how Japan was actively looking for surrender in the weeks that preceded Hirosima's and Nagasaki's bombings, and of how the new U.S.A. administration was more interested in flexing with the Russians - who were still America's allies - than in pondering the legitimacy of using on Japanese civilians a bomb that had been hurriedly built to stop the Nazis from using it first. The confusion and disarray in which this shift - from stopping the Nazis, to bombing random civilians in a defeated country - threw Los Alamos' scientific community is a sight to behold; not to mention Oppenheimer's ambiguities, contradictions and weaknesses. It is a historical fact that he looked at the bombings with malcelated pride and nostalgia for all the rest of his life, while trying to come to terms with his responsibilities as Father of the Bomb; and we are left wondering how much ambition and vanity, rather than a sense of responsibility and guilt, were involved in shaping Oppenheimer's positions and campaigns for his continued involvement in deciding atomic policy after the war.
Quite transparently, the whole narration of Oppenheimer's life builds up from his very infancy towards the climax of the confirmation hearing, an ominous shadow hanging over a luminous life path. In doing so, Bird manages to highlight at the same time Oppenheimer's personal fragility and strength in both his public and private lives; the way he managed to adapt many of his deep character shortcomings to circumstances, while never really freeing himself of them, or of his deep insecurities and vanity; and his brilliance with its vast reach and similarly vast limits. He paints the portrait of a person who was nearly superhuman and yet endearing, relatable, vaguely deranged and infuriating at the same time - as we all are, when looked at by extremely close. ( )

A behemoth of a biography -- and the backstory of how it was written is almost as compelling of the story itself. One of the few instances where the seeing the film actually helps visualize the action in the book, but there's so so so much more to the tale. A very satisfying read. ( )

I finished this just in time for the Oscars. It’s the basis of the best picture winner “Oppenheimer” & I loved seeing the way the book was adapted to become a film. This is a long in-depth biography, but he was a complicated man. It was also a perfect nonfiction read for New Mexico. The authors did an excellent job diving into the history of the making of the atomic bomb and Oppenheimer’s role in the saga. I wouldn’t read it again but it was good. ( )

I don't understand the value of exonerating the lesser communist accusations of a mass murderer. I don't care if he walked into the Kremlin and handed over the blueprints on a plate. I care that he knew it would be used on civilians and repeatedly said he didn't regret working on it afterwards. This is the most thoroughly researched book I've ever read, with a book-length bibliography & cited sources at the end. But it seems to have elevated the mystique of what I can only classify as a genocidist. To their credit, there are copious citations of why the bomb wasn't required to end the war, and everyone knew it. But most focuses on the communism. Not sure how to rate this book.

A true work of art. Bird and Sherwin take on the monumental task of understanding the life and times of easily the most important man in his century. Not one character who enters the fray here is overlooked, not in their own personal history or how theirs affected the man's.

The book is not overly scientific and still manages to educate on the topic of quantum theory. It's also quite a history of the lurches in scientific understanding over time, and the men behind them.

But the most wildly interesting component of the narrative is the politics: Oppenheimer's, the country's, and the world's. Not many of us will have our individual ethics challenged so severely as did Oppenheimer. But the cautionary tale still rings loudly for personal ethics as a driving force in life, and the consequences for making a stand; or the consequences for not making a stand when necessary. Oppenheimer falls on both ends of that spectrum, as a testament to the complexity of his character.

The book is deeply personal, and doesn't read at all like a cold, dry history. This should be mandatory reading for everyone in school. Sadly, this is a story not everyone wants told. Forget Barbie - case the time to start reading this book.

Highly Recommended!!!!!
5 bones!!!!! ( )

A thorough examination of a complex person during extraordinary times. American Prometheus is both a fascinating exploration of J. Robert Oppenheimer and a cautionary tail of how choices can have unexpected and destructive consequences. Highly recommended. ( )

Fantastic. Relevant to both the times and myself personally. In many ways terribly depressing. A real page turner of a biography. ( )

Too dry and boring. DNF ( )

El 16 de julio de 1945, en el desierto de Nuevo México, se detonaba en secreto la primera bomba atómica. Impactado por el poder destructivo de su creación, J. Robert Oppenheimer, director del Proyecto Manhattan, se comprometería desde entonces a luchar contra el desarrollo de la bomba de hidrógeno y contra la guerra nuclear. Sospechoso de comunista para los Estados Unidos de la era McCarthy, fue perseguido por el FBI, calumniado como espía de la Unión Soviética y obligado a dimitir de cualquier función pública. Su vida privada fue arrastrada del mismo modo hacia el esperpento; su casa fue allanada con micrófonos ocultos, y su teléfono, intervenido. No sería hasta 1963 que el presidente Kennedy lo rehabilitaría y, con ello, su figura obtendría otro cariz para los ciudadanos del mundo entero.

Treinta años de entrevistas a familiares, amigos y colegas; de búsqueda en archivos del FBI; de análisis de las cintas con discursos e interrogatorios, y de hallazgos de documentos privados del físico nuclear dieron como resultado este monumental libro. Una biografía de una enorme minuciosidad que ofrece una visión íntima del científico más famoso de su generación; una de las figuras icónicas del siglo xx para quien el triunfo y la tragedia se unieron en un nudo gordiano.

For more reviews and bookish posts visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin is a biography of the famous scientist, “father of the atomic bomb”. The authors won the Pulitzer Prize for this book.

I wanted to read this book for a long time, but after watching Christopher Nolan’s biopic, it made it to the top of the list. If you didn’t read the book, I found that watching the movie, then reading the book, then watching the movie once more (hopefully with subtitles) helped me understand the complex nuances of the time.

American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin is an exceptional biography which manages to weave politics, science, and humanity into an engaging story which changed the world we live in. the book skips, wisely I think, on the overly detailed technical aspects of building the atomic bomb, in favor of life in Los Alamos, and Oppenheimer’s role in it.

The book establishes Oppenheimer as a charismatic intellectual whose speaking and administrative ability led him to great success. Oppenheimer also had the curiosity to look at other subjects that had nothing to do with physics, learn, troubleshoot, or just for his own knowledge.

Much like Walter Issacson’s excellent biography of Einstein, this book is not about physics, but captures the world in which Oppenheimer lived in. The authors allow the readers to understand why he was selected to lead the Manhattan Project, his leadership and organizational capabilities, charisma, and occasional cruelty.

The book is charming on the surface but has dark undertones which are difficult to miss. At times it could be overwhelmingly detailed, however it does provide an understanding of a complex man and the company he kept. ( )

This is a remarkable biography. It grabs you from the first page to the last one. In addition to telling the story of Robert Oppenheimer and the development of the atomic bomb, it dives into the issues of thermonuclear war, the anti-communist fanaticism of the McCarthy era, and the abuse of power by Hoover and his FBI. The smear campaign against Oppenheimer in 1954 infects the reader with a feeling of paranoia.

The smear campaign against Oppenheimer continues today with a recent article in Commentary magazine declaring the Oppenheimer really was a communist. https://www.commentary.org/articles/harvey-klehr/oppenheimer-was-a-communist/?ca.... The article in Commentary is not at all persuasive The book American Prometheus, however, provides convincing arguments for way this is not true.

The efforts ( )

This biography of J Robert Oppenheimer and was the basis/inspiration for the Nolan movie that's out now. It was a very good listen. Its not a very sciency book, it deals with the war and the bomb development, but its not a physics textbook. It was really interesting listening to his life before the war and his liberal and communistic leanings. At the time (after WWI and during the Depression), a lot of young people were looking for ways to improve their lives. After the war, his past came back to haunt him. While he was never a part of the Communist Party, the Industrial Military Complex and the powerful men who ran things wanted to continue the development of more and more powerful nuclear weapons and when Oppenheimer apposed what they were doing, they pushed him out. He wasn't a perfect man, and this points out his faults, but the world, for good or for bad, would not be the same without him. ( )

És la biografia del físic teòric estatunidenc d'origen jueu i fill d'immigrants alemanys, Julius Robert Oppenheimer (abril 1904 – febrer 1964), considerat el pare de la bomba atòmica.

L'any 1939 Albert Einstein i Leo Szilard varen advertir sobre la terrible amenaça per a la humanitat que Alemanya fos la primera a disposar d'una bomba atòmica. Va ser aleshores quan Oppenheimer, molt conscient del desafiament del règim nazi, va començar a investigar sobre l'urani.

L'any 1942 s'integrà al Projecte Manhattan destinat a gestionar la investigació i el desenvolupament per part de científics britànics i nord-americans de l'energia nuclear amb finalitats militars, i també en fou director.

El 16 de juny de 1945, en el desert de Nou Mèxic es va detonar la primera bomba atòmica. Impactat pel seu poder destructiu va dimitir com a director del projecte i, més tard declarà que li varen venir al cap les paraules de Bhagavad Gita: «Ara m'he convertit en la mort, el destructor de mons».

Durant els anys de persecució política del senador McCarthy, denominada «Caça de bruixes», contra qualsevol dissident o sospitós de comunisme, Oppenheimer fou perseguit per l'FBI, calumniat com espia de la Unió Soviètica i obligat a dimitir de qualsevol càrrec públic. Fins i tot, es varen instal•lar micròfons a casa seva i li varen intervenir el telèfon. El 1963 el president Kennedy el va rehabilitar.

Oppenheimer dedicà els darrers anys de la seva vida a la reflexió sobre els problemes sorgits de la relació entre la ciència i la societat.

Aquesta biografia, fruit de trenta anys d’investigacions, ofereix un dels retrats més complets d’un dels científics més importants del segle XX.

Quite detailed coverage of Oppy's life, maybe even at points overly detailed in that I'm not sure some of it helped further reveal anything meaningful about his character. Should I suspect in the capable hands of Nolan make for an interesting movie. ( )

A powerful and expertly researched biography of Robert Oppenheimer. Possibly the definitive biography of Oppie to date. AMERICAN PROMETHEUS is a very thorough study and the footnotes are legit. It gives a lot of crucial insight into a complicated, complex historical figure. It's a thick book but it reads so well, you'll barely notice it's over 700 pages. I highly recommend reading this alongside a book like 109 EAST PALACE for more context to the Los Alamos section of Oppenheimer's life. ( )

Very long (27 hours) ( )

I managed to find this book fascinating and way too long. It was very well researched but lack a strong narrative arc to hold all the detail together. That said, I'm glad I stuck with it because it gave me insights into the way the scientists working on the atomic bomb deal with the moral issues surrounding the rise of nuclear weapons. The book also provides a sobering reminder of government power left unchecked. I only wish there had been more about Mr. Oppenheimer's visit to Japan. It must have had some impact on him, and likely raised some controversy in Japan???

Bottom line: worth reading and provides food for thought. ( )

This book was equally fascinating and way too long. Much of it was a he said / he said recounting. I'm glad that the book was exhaustively researched, but I would have easily taken the authors' word for it. Maybe replacing some of the main text as end notes instead would have eased my suffering. ( )

The real tragedy is not hidden in J. Robert Oppenheimer´s life - because he took a responsible stand once he understood and atoned for his errors by spreading intelligence about what nuclear weapons can do to us, our plantet, civilization.
The real tragedy it is ours, hidden in our inability to listen to his story: The atomic bomb, nuclear weapons are not part of any solution to any human problem. Too many of us still choose leaders that nurse the thought. The tragedy of the common man is that he does not understand that we are uncommonly forceful - and enjoys uncommonly common sense that crosses borders, race and language. We do not have to agree on everything, but we can agree on not having the atomic bomb as a part of the solution: If we turn our backs collectively to the use of the atomic bomb, no industrialist or leader can do anything but to abide by it.

Review: American Prometheus by Kia Bird and Martin J Sherwin. A great book. There is an abundance of quality information on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer and plenty of constructive pro and con criticism about his work and movements throughout his career. I applaud both sides for their optimism strong and conservative opinions and views of the type of man Mr. Oppenheimer was over the years. The author’s clearly captured his good and bad qualities and created a book of many questions with true or false answers.

I believe Robert Oppenheimer was a great physicist. My perception of him as a person after reading the book was good. He had his faults but I feel he was an honest person. I didn’t perceive him as a communist. When the FBI was investigating him they claimed he wasn‘t on trial but they surely took him down after he didn‘t want to be involved in the H-bomb‘s. ___ Robert stated, “I can still feel the warm blood on my hands”, for that, he was known as a communist. I felt he acted strange at times but I believe all people who are considered a genius inherit that sort of characteristic within themselves.

I did understand the contents of the book. The only con I can relate is that I thought there was so much redundant information. I wish I could give a better review but putting it together is above me. I did enjoy the book. I read every last page and feel it deservers a good recommendation.
( )

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin was originally published in 2005. My paperback copy has 719 pages, including notes and index. Winner of the 2005 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2006 Pulitzer Prize, for Biography, this is the definitive biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer. It is a great example of a well researched and carefully written biography, however, it is also a massive, very thorough biography. If you are simply mildly curious about Oppenheimer, then you might want to consider a less detailed account of his life. Excellent biography Rating: 5

personal note: It was quite interesting to note that the Oppenheimer family originally owned the Van Gogh painting, First Steps (After Millet) and later brother Frank had to sell it due to his being black listed and unable to find work as a physicist. I have had a print of this painting in my home for years.
http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/
( )

I have wanted to read this biography of Oppenheimer since reading reviews when it was first published a few years ago. Bird and Sherwin have written a readable, comprehensive biography of a complex and important figure. Their book helped me understand Oppenheimer better, but it also helped me understand the difficult moral questions scientists faced as they tried to deal with the advent of nuclear weapons. An excellent book! ( )

I thought Oppenheimer sounded like an interesting fellow, so I figured I would give this book a try. It is incredibly detailed and well researched and I can see why it won the Pulitzer Prize. I realized about 50 pages in that I wasn't all that interested in Oppenheimer after all, but for some reason I continued reading for another 500 pages. I know being accused of being a communist was a big deal back then, but I got a little overwhelmed and bored with all the chapters discussing Oppenheimer's ties to communism. I didn't enjoy the book much, it was too long for my tastes, but recognizing it is a well researched book, I will give it three stars. ( )

This is an incredibly detailed book. At 700+ pages (including notes, bibliography, and index) that is no surprise. And, at times, I felt there was too much detail. And yet, this is a complicated story; leaving out those details may well have made for a story less than fully told. But, did it all need to be told? In particular, the details of Oppenheimer's experience with the Communist party before WWII seem to go on forever. However, those details bear fruit much later in the book as it describes the attack against Oppenheimer during the height of McCarthyism and the Red Scare.

That previous paragraph has a lot of "and yets" and "howevers." And, I am really getting ahead of myself by jumping into that particular part of the story. So let's go to a longer than normal synopsis of the story.

This book follows Oppenheimer from birth to death. It lays out his early learning experiences in a rather avant garde school in New York. It then discusses the turbulent life he had as he got his bearings in college. Here we begin to see just how troubled an individual he was. There is a sudden transformation (one the author spends some time trying – unsuccessfully – to explain; but that is probably because no real explanation exists) and Oppenheimer begins to explore the world of physics. But aspects of those problems can be seen throughout his life.

The book then goes into his academic career and his role in the expanding understanding of quantum physics. As Oppenheimer's prominence grows, so does his activity in the social arena. (Some of this can be traced all the way back to that school in New York.) In the time before WWII, this meant support of unions and an increasing fear of European fascism. This also meant involvement at various levels with the fledgling Communist Party. (As noted above, it is at this point where the book slows down.) Oppenheimer was associated with many organizations that had ties with the Party. He also had friends who were with the Party. But there was no evidence he was ever a member, and he quickly learned that the promise he felt lay within Communism would never come to fruition.

And then he became an important part of the war effort as he was called to pull together and head the team developing the atom bomb in Los Alamos. On a personal level, this was the part I found most interesting as it married the expanding discoveries within the field of physics with the incredible effort it took to develop the bomb. (And I'm for any book that mentions Feynman.) As the bomb is coming to completion, the book does an excellent job of outlining the questionable action of actually using the bomb, laying out the case that the war had already been won and that dropping the bomb on Japan had more to do with keeping Russia out than anything else.

Once the bomb is dropped, the book quickly moves to Oppenheimer's efforts to keep an arms race from occurring. In the process, he makes political enemies. And here the book once more delves into the details of the investigations into Oppenheimer, the various interpretations of Oppenheimer's history, and the actions taken by the government. It is a sad and sobering portion of the book reminding everyone about government gone unchecked. And it must be remembered that his is only one of many stories from that period.

The book goes into great detail about the hearing to maintain Oppenheimer's clearance in the 50s. But this is important as it is, effectively, a trial about his patriotism. The detail is well-founded (and the payoff for all that previous detail that still seems a bit much.) In the end, his clearance is not granted. But the loss of a battle is not the loss of a war, and the decision on Oppenheimer was one of many situations that led the public to recognize that the government, in various guises, had gone too far.

The book ends with a discussion of the additional work Oppenheimer did, the awards he won, and his final days on a tropical island. Perhaps the most depressing part of the book is what occurred after he died. Throughout the book the author lays the foundation that the family, at best, was dysfunctional. And the history of the family members after Oppenheimer's passing only serves to prove that point.

One thing we have to remember as we read through the book is that we are hearing one person's interpretation of the facts that are Oppenheimer's life. Yes, it is incredibly well researched; but it still remains one person's (well-supported) opinion. (And a detailed examination requires a much more emphatic warning; it is easy to forget that a lot of information does not necessarily result in a correct conclusion.) Throughout, the reader is told that, in spite of some naive and questionable actions, Oppenheimer was a man with good intentions. And I don't doubt he was. But, what kept going through my mind was, given he was a genius, do we, as we observe him, not see how he was actually playing some of the people in his life? Was he really naive? Or did he, in some instances, understand exactly what he was doing, the perception he was giving, and how to use those reactions to get what he wanted?

But that is a quibble into the details of interpretation. Because it is apparent that this is the story of a genius who made significant changes to our understanding of the world. He was instrumental in changing the foundations of physics and quantum mechanics. He was a part of one of the most important (and sometimes questionable) projects in American history. He had a role in the destruction of civilians that he seems to have come to grips with, and yet there is evidence of, if not guilt, at least a negative ambivalence about what happened. And it is a man who became a symbol of all that was wrong with the US approach to fears about Communism.

It is a good book that, generally, reads easily. (As noted, some of the details bog the story down. It is really hard to tell one potential red from the other without a scorecard.) The life Oppenheimer led is fascinating, and the results of that life, as told in this book, are profound on various levels. ( )

This is a fascinating and quite readable biography of the "father of the atomic bomb." There is a tiny bit of physics -- you won't be building any weapons in your basement with this knowledge -- that can be skimmed over without losing much of the story. There are, though, a lot of physicists mentioned, but the book does repeat enough pertinent information to keep most of them easily distinguishable. (Sometimes the characters seem introduced only so the authors could point out how many Nobel laureates Oppenheimer would study under, and then how many he would later influence -- and yet, Oppenheimer himself would never be nominated for the top prize in physics.)

Parts of the book do seem to be a setup for the authors' defense of Oppenheimer in the "Chevalier affair." The basic story appears to be that, while working on the bomb, Oppenheimer was approached by Chevalier, one of his old friends, but a known Communist sympathizer. The friend asked Oppenheimer -- who himself had supported some Communist agendas in his past -- if he wanted to pass information to the Soviets, but Oppenheimer refused. Unfortunately, as Oppenheimer told this story to various people over the years, some of the details changed, often in substantial ways. And those changes looked mighty suspicious to the McCarthy-era government officials who would later debate Oppenheimer's security clearance.

I'd mention two slight disappointments in this otherwise fine book. The first was that there wasn't much discussion about the Manhattan Project itself -- we read more about the innumerable dinner parties at Los Alamos than what the scientists really did (of course, much may still be classified, and there's undoubtedly thicker works on the topic). The other frustrating part was that the book noted in a single sentence Oppenheimer's visit to Tokyo several years after the war. There was no other information than that (the index unhelpfully omits any reference to this trip). I can't imagine the trip didn't make some impression on him, never mind the debate it must have caused in the country that he helped partially to destroy.

------------------------
LT Haiku:

A complex life; dad
to the bomb, but then siding
with the anti-nukes. ( )