Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by lokroma
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Martin J. Sherwin, Kai Bird
3.0
In a word, tedious. American Prometheus was the inspiration for the film "Oppenheimer," but except for the basic facts of Oppenheimer's involvement with the development of the atomic bomb, and the revenge against him extracted by Lewis Strauss, the book and movie bear little resemblance to one another.
Oppenheimer is clearly a fascinating subject, but there is simply way too much information here. The book was exhaustively researched, and it seems the author included every detail about Oppy that he encountered. We learn of each friend, girlfriend, wife, mistress, meeting, conference, vacation, house, job interview, conversation, etc. etc. in a very full life. It is chronologically narrated and the writing is competent if a bit pedestrian. Bird seems incapable of weeding out the extraneous which makes the book a bit of a slog.
About two thirds of the way in things finally get interesting. Lewis Strauss' jealousy and hatred for Oppenheimer drives him to relentlessly seek revenge on Oppy until he ruins his (Oppy's) career and possibly his life. The sort of political machinations that Strauss used in aid of his mission are being repeated in the U.S. House of Representatives today as some in Congress pursue the Biden family nonstop.
Despite all this, because of Oppenheimer's fascinating character and life, the book being so well researched, and its relevance to our political situation today, I think it's worth a read.
Oppenheimer is clearly a fascinating subject, but there is simply way too much information here. The book was exhaustively researched, and it seems the author included every detail about Oppy that he encountered. We learn of each friend, girlfriend, wife, mistress, meeting, conference, vacation, house, job interview, conversation, etc. etc. in a very full life. It is chronologically narrated and the writing is competent if a bit pedestrian. Bird seems incapable of weeding out the extraneous which makes the book a bit of a slog.
About two thirds of the way in things finally get interesting. Lewis Strauss' jealousy and hatred for Oppenheimer drives him to relentlessly seek revenge on Oppy until he ruins his (Oppy's) career and possibly his life. The sort of political machinations that Strauss used in aid of his mission are being repeated in the U.S. House of Representatives today as some in Congress pursue the Biden family nonstop.
Despite all this, because of Oppenheimer's fascinating character and life, the book being so well researched, and its relevance to our political situation today, I think it's worth a read.