cwr_2020 's review for:

American Prometheus by Martin J. Sherwin, Kai Bird
4.0

4.5
I saw Oppenheimer last year and knew I had to read the book that the movie was based on. A difficult but rewarding read. What a remarkable life. I learned a lot about the man, but also a lot about the science and the politics of the period that he lived in. As with most history books I have read lately, what I learned in school doesn’t match up well against what really happened.

Supposedly the authors spent 25 years working on this book, I thought it was going to take me that long to finish it!

I wouldn’t say it was an enjoyable read, but it was certainly fascinating and thought provoking. It was a bit depressing to boot.

Thought it spent too much time on the "Chevalier Incident", beat that to death. Otherwise a great biography.

Tons of footnotes and references.