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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
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
This is a re-read, initially read this new so it has been a very long time.
This book always stuck with me, so it was a pleasure to read again.
Oppenheimer had an exceptional life, liberal left brilliantly gifted intellectual, that went on to create the atom bomb, then went on to spend the rest of his life wanting nations to disarm.
His hatred of the creation would make him the focus of McCarthyism at its peak, dragging him through his loose communist connections.
He’s an inspiration of what it means to be human, and inherently flawed.
The book covers his whole life, the good and the bad, while manage to walk the fine line of explaining some of the physics concepts without going too deep into it.
Definitely worth a read, will be interesting to see where Nolan takes this book.
This book always stuck with me, so it was a pleasure to read again.
Oppenheimer had an exceptional life, liberal left brilliantly gifted intellectual, that went on to create the atom bomb, then went on to spend the rest of his life wanting nations to disarm.
His hatred of the creation would make him the focus of McCarthyism at its peak, dragging him through his loose communist connections.
He’s an inspiration of what it means to be human, and inherently flawed.
The book covers his whole life, the good and the bad, while manage to walk the fine line of explaining some of the physics concepts without going too deep into it.
Definitely worth a read, will be interesting to see where Nolan takes this book.
informative
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
The 2023 film only captures a fraction of Oppenheimer’s life, though it does so well. For a more complete picture, this book is a must.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, War
Minor: Antisemitism
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
informative
I took an egregiously long time to read this book…as usual. The movie pretty much motivated me to read this and I will say the book gives a much more human feeling behind the man. I feel Oppenheimer lived his life so quickly. So much happened from his early life and so much more happened closer to his death, which only made it worse by the fact that he died so young. Anyways, the book is super well written but I do wish we’d have heard from some of his haters more, but of course they’d never agree to speak openly or be quoted for a book. RIP Opje, but more so rest in peace all those that died so unjustly in Nagasaki and Hiroshima
P.S. Don’t smoke kids.
P.S. Don’t smoke kids.
I read this after seeing the movie Oppenheimer hoping to shed more light on this interesting man and incredible time in history, but I actually think the movie did his life story justice. There's not much more to learn outside of the physics nitty gritty. Informative, but you can skip it if you watched the movie.
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced