1.63k reviews for:

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

Martin J. Sherwin, Kai Bird

4.33 AVERAGE

foofers1622's review against another edition

5.0

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Not only was this a biography on Oppenheimer but it was also a history lesson on the making of the H bomb and what it meant for the world. I also listened to his and I could actually listen to an American narrator for once. There were two things that irritated me listening to this. One, you could tell when edits were done because Jeff Cummings voice sounded different and not as clear. Two, when Robert was called Robert, Oppie or Oppenheimer at different times with no apparent reason why.

kvreading2004's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

issyd23's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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Worth the effort! 4🤠 

“Modern Prometheans have raided Mount Olympus again & have brought back for man the very thunderbolts of Zeus.” Scientific Monthly

Imagine having one of the greatest minds of the 20th century & the first 4 chapters of your biography is about how much of a loser you were at school/uni, how little you had sex & how you had 0 friends & low key tried to kill yourself & your professor.

Thankfully Oppie’s neuroses ‘subsided during middle age’ & he went on to have many affairs, friends & lead the Manhattan project & other groundbreaking discoveries. 

Jokes aside this biography is incredible: the best I’ve read & well worth the slog if you’re a fan of the film! 

It was so great reading the backstories of Jean Tatlock, Kitty, Isi Rabi & other fascinating people (I now finally understand what happened with Haakon Chevalier).

My eBook was so filled with highlights it started lagging. 

Bird & Sherwin’s attention to detail & research is considerable. Take a bow! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, Classism

birchio's review against another edition

4.25

informative tense slow-paced

vishvrangi's review against another edition

4.25

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

amy_heferen's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

rpych2's review against another edition

5.0

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Truthfully, I read this after seeing the movie because I wanted to learn more about J. Robert Oppenheimer than the film and what I was taught in American history (which if you know the American education system, was mostly half truths trying to make the US look good). And while the film did a fantastic job of capturing his exploits at Berkeley and Los Alamos, this expanded on his childhood and communism inquiry after the bomb was completed. Oppenheimer was a truly remarkable man, and I loved reading about him. This is such a comprehensive book, but I know I’ll be seeking out more, especially from the Los Alamos period.

jv1997's review against another edition

4.75

challenging informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

thepol's review against another edition

5.0

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

gbjt's review against another edition

4.0

informative slow-paced