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1.63k reviews for:
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Martin J. Sherwin, Kai Bird
4.33 AVERAGE
1.63k reviews for:
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Martin J. Sherwin, Kai Bird
4.33 AVERAGE
informative
slow-paced
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced
This book really got into the weeds, which made it too long. The author went into too much background on each person introduced, which was unnecessary to the narrative. The authors also went into too much detail about each event.
It was an interesting book and was well researched. However, overall, the book was overwritten.
Narrator Rating: 2.75 stars
The narrator was okay, but a bit bland. The book also would have been easier to follow if he’d done voices for the people involved, as it got confusing at points as to who was being quoted.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, War
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Sexual content, Medical content
a great read. it reads like a documentary. lots of detail, and great perspective on the man and the situation. i also think the movie represented the book well. it takes a lot to show a figure like this in all their dimension, without sugar coating one perspective or another. really enjoyed this one.
There was no way I was getting through this book. There was so much information and I couldn’t follow. Too many people named in the book. It was really good at putting me to sleep. I would prefer to read a book on Jean Tatlock.
they should have attached little handcuffs around his eyeballs for the crime of being too blue
dark
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
More than anything else, this is probably the most comprehensive biography I've ever read.
Following J. Robert Oppenheimer from birth to death, parts of this biography felt almost voyeuristic in how much detail the two authors had access too. But despite the immense length of the novel (over 26 hours for the audiobook version I listened to), this is an extremely compelling novel. Oppenheimer is captured so completely as the human man he was: to different people a horrible father, a brilliant science administrator, a visionary for nuclear policy, a friend to some a rival to others. If anything, the length of the novel feels justified, because it feels like any less would have missed some facet of his personality.
As is to be expected with any biography of an entire person's life, there are certainly some sections I found less interesting than others (I imagine most people read a biography on Oppenheimer for everything from the Manhattan Project and beyond), but while some sections may have less interesting subject matter, they all remain crucially important.
Beyond just Oppenheimer's life though, I learned so much about the Manhattan Project, the early Cold War, the development of America's nuclear defense policy, and McCarthyism. And the entire novel is aided by really engaging writing, that never left timelines or facts confused, quite a feat considering how many important individuals come and go in Oppenheimer's life.
I do have to note the quality of the audiobook was oddly inconsistent at points. The narrator's voice shifted noticeably at times from line to line, as if I could hear the start of a new recording (though without anything so obvious as a recording pop). Without having the novel in front of me, I can't say if certain pitches were chosen to highlight footnotes, but the audio shifts seemed circumstantial not intentional. There was also a moment early on when a line fully repeated, as if a second take was left in the final recording. For how lengthy the book is, I would be lying if these strange inconsistencies didn't neggle at me in a way that a book of a shorter length might not have.
But if you're at all interested in the subject matter, and the length of the book doesn't offset you, this is an easy book to recommend.
Following J. Robert Oppenheimer from birth to death, parts of this biography felt almost voyeuristic in how much detail the two authors had access too. But despite the immense length of the novel (over 26 hours for the audiobook version I listened to), this is an extremely compelling novel. Oppenheimer is captured so completely as the human man he was: to different people a horrible father, a brilliant science administrator, a visionary for nuclear policy, a friend to some a rival to others. If anything, the length of the novel feels justified, because it feels like any less would have missed some facet of his personality.
As is to be expected with any biography of an entire person's life, there are certainly some sections I found less interesting than others (I imagine most people read a biography on Oppenheimer for everything from the Manhattan Project and beyond), but while some sections may have less interesting subject matter, they all remain crucially important.
Beyond just Oppenheimer's life though, I learned so much about the Manhattan Project, the early Cold War, the development of America's nuclear defense policy, and McCarthyism. And the entire novel is aided by really engaging writing, that never left timelines or facts confused, quite a feat considering how many important individuals come and go in Oppenheimer's life.
I do have to note the quality of the audiobook was oddly inconsistent at points. The narrator's voice shifted noticeably at times from line to line, as if I could hear the start of a new recording (though without anything so obvious as a recording pop). Without having the novel in front of me, I can't say if certain pitches were chosen to highlight footnotes, but the audio shifts seemed circumstantial not intentional. There was also a moment early on when a line fully repeated, as if a second take was left in the final recording. For how lengthy the book is, I would be lying if these strange inconsistencies didn't neggle at me in a way that a book of a shorter length might not have.
But if you're at all interested in the subject matter, and the length of the book doesn't offset you, this is an easy book to recommend.
informative
slow-paced