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1.64k reviews for:
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Martin J. Sherwin, Kai Bird
4.33 AVERAGE
1.64k reviews for:
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Martin J. Sherwin, Kai Bird
4.33 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Fantastic book. Oppenheimers story even after watching the movie countless times and reading the book still amazes me. The adversity that he fought through and the pressure he pushed through is far more than most any humans today must go through. The world wouldn’t be the same without J. Robert Oppenheimer.
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- very informative and detailed
- there is an intense work behind this book
- there is an intense work behind this book
Oh man. This is it. This is the definitive biography. I don't even mean of Oppenheimer, I mean at all, ever, of anyone. This book is a monster. The official page count is over 700, but you're looking at an easy 550-600 pages of biography, dissecting the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer the way a surgeon opens a person up to work on a heart.
It apparently took the authors 25 years to put this together. Twenty. Five. Years. They flew around the world, interviewed as many of the people that knew Oppenheimer as possible, and dug into the insane amount of pages of FBI documents (I think they said somewhere north of 10,000 pages?).
The crazy thing is how good it is. You really get to see Oppenheimer - the man revered and reviled as the father of the atomic bomb - as a full on person, and not just a figure out of history. He had triumphs, tragedies, a wife, kids, arguments with the government, people turning traitor on him, and even disagreements with Einstein.
American Prometheus isn't just a quarter century of research and an intense amount of information. It's the story of a remarkable life in five parts, and a reflection of the times that life was lived in.
I am glad I read it, and I encourage others to do the same. Just make sure you're expecting a shorter, 200 page snapshot.
It apparently took the authors 25 years to put this together. Twenty. Five. Years. They flew around the world, interviewed as many of the people that knew Oppenheimer as possible, and dug into the insane amount of pages of FBI documents (I think they said somewhere north of 10,000 pages?).
The crazy thing is how good it is. You really get to see Oppenheimer - the man revered and reviled as the father of the atomic bomb - as a full on person, and not just a figure out of history. He had triumphs, tragedies, a wife, kids, arguments with the government, people turning traitor on him, and even disagreements with Einstein.
American Prometheus isn't just a quarter century of research and an intense amount of information. It's the story of a remarkable life in five parts, and a reflection of the times that life was lived in.
I am glad I read it, and I encourage others to do the same. Just make sure you're expecting a shorter, 200 page snapshot.
i didn’t finish this book but i didn’t feel like i had to after watching the movie. i got about halfway and i thoroughly enjoyed it. for such a dense book, it still managed to have good pacing and kept things interesting
One of the best pieces of historical research / investigative journalism I've ever seen. Every part of Oppenheimer's life is well documented with quotes from letters, official documents, and interviews with the people present.
Oppenheimer was indeed an extraordinary man. The likes of which the world rarely sees. He gave humanity the bomb and lived the rest of his life advocating for such a weapon not to be used. Just like Prometheus, he was punished. Not by the gods, but by the very government he diligently served. This biography is not only thorough and extremely well researched but also absolutely inspiring.
Oppenheimer was indeed an extraordinary man. The likes of which the world rarely sees. He gave humanity the bomb and lived the rest of his life advocating for such a weapon not to be used. Just like Prometheus, he was punished. Not by the gods, but by the very government he diligently served. This biography is not only thorough and extremely well researched but also absolutely inspiring.
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
As a devoted Robert Caro fangirl, I don't make the comparison lightly, but this book belongs on a shelf with the LBJ and Robert Moses biographies: meticulously researched, deeply human, and as compulsively readable as a thriller.
Side note: Christopher Nolan's movie, which is based on this book, might be the best movie I've ever seen. Invest the time and treat yourself to both.
Side note: Christopher Nolan's movie, which is based on this book, might be the best movie I've ever seen. Invest the time and treat yourself to both.
I've been profoundly impacted by his story. I've never read or heard of a person so well rounded, intelligent, thoughtful, and philosophical such as Robert Oppenheimer. I will carry this memoir with me always as I consider the ambiguity of life's challenging questions.