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meghankg 's review for:
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
by Martin J. Sherwin, Kai Bird
The level of research that has gone into this book is staggering, and the end result is a biography that clearly shows great respect for its subject, but doesn’t fail to present him as the complex and flawed human he was. Oppenheimer is someone who both seems to have received outsized recognition for his scientific contributions (he never really produced anything himself) and never received the accolades he deserved. Additionally, “Oppie” was a highly complex human, with a wide array of interests and an odd manner with people; he could be both highly off-putting and the most charming and persuasive person in the room. If all this seems confusing, it should be. Oppenheimer is someone who worked on a project that he felt was vitally necessary to the safety of humanity, while also recognizing the dangers of the end-result if it were to go unregulated. While initially intimidating, Bird and Sherwin’s massive biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer is in actuality a highly readable story of a unique, and uniquely, American figure. I highly recommend this book as both a biography on a significant 20th century figure and as an exploration of the politics surrounding scientific advancement and research brought about by the success of the Manhattan Project.