American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Martin J. Sherwin, Kai Bird

4.33 AVERAGE

rocketbebop's profile picture

rocketbebop's review against another edition

4.75
informative reflective slow-paced
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sokhiengtim's review against another edition

4.0
emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

janefstevens's review against another edition

5.0
dark informative sad slow-paced
What a long slog.....but so worthwhile. 
mj470's profile picture

mj470's review against another edition

3.0
I very much struggled to finish this book. Ultimately I found it to have some very interesting moments, but without the movie I would not be able to keep track of all the people brought up in Oppenheimer's life.

I particularly liked the ending because it has a lot more detail than is shown in the movie. So ultimately it was an interesting nonfiction, but I would never have finished it without having seen the film.

noelk216's review against another edition

4.0
emotional informative reflective slow-paced
stuttgart273's profile picture

stuttgart273's review against another edition

5.0
informative inspiring slow-paced

hannahgingerich's review against another edition

5.0
challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced
This book is huge but it is unlike any other biography I have ever read.  Even though it’s large the book does not read like a dense textbook.  It has a story and it flows.  This book is not just straight facts about Oppenheimers life, at time it also feels like it has an undertone of philosophical understandings.  The idea that Oppenheimer was naieve enough to believe that he creates something that is so destructive and that it might not be used, or change warfare in general.  Then to watch him slowly become disillusioned with the politics and government regarding the issues.  It’s a remarkable book. 
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hollydaze71's review against another edition

4.0
A must read for history and science lovers!!

christinenichole's review against another edition

3.0
Long

bug_not_a_feature's review against another edition

Way too boring! It focused ad nauseam on whether or not he was a communist, and what others thought about it. The book could have been half as long.