American Prometheus (Pulitzer Prize Winner): The Inspiration for the Major Motion Picture OPPENHEIMER

Kai Bird , Martin J. Sherwin
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American Prometheus (Pulitzer Prize Winner): The Inspiration for the Major Motion Picture OPPENHEIMER

Kai Bird , Martin J. Sherwin
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Overview

784 PAGESENGLISH

Promotional Details
“The definitive biography.... Oppenheimer’s life doesn’t influence us. It haunts us.” —Newsweek

“A masterful account of Oppenheimer’s rise and fall, set in the context of the turbulent decades of America’s own transformation. It is a tour de force.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review

“A work of voluminous scholarship and lucid insight, unifying its multifaceted portrait with a keen grasp of Oppenheimer’s essential nature.... It succeeds in deeply fathoming his most damaging, self-contradictory behavior.” —The New York Times

“There have been numerous books about Oppenheimer but they can't touch this extraordinary book's impressive breadth and scope.” —The Miami Herald

“The first biography to give full due to Oppenheimer’s extraordinary complexity.... Stands as an Everest among the mountains of books on the bomb project and Oppenheimer, and is an achievement not likely to be surpassed or equaled.” —The Boston Globe

Overall rating: 4.8 / 5 from 25 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

This biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a New York Times bestseller, offers a detailed and complex account of his life and the moral consequences of his scientific contributions. Customers appreciate its depth and informative nature, making it a worthy read for those interested in history and biography.

Summary topics

  • Readability: 30%
  • Detail and Complexity: 25%

Review topics: ["read","book","history","biography","mind","man"].

Review highlights

  • "The book is extremely detailed and well written - chapters flow by quickly and leave you wanting more."S P.
  • "This book is very detailed and complex."KRVS
  • "A detailed and interesting book on the father of the atomic bomb."BLee

Reviews

A good read for history buffs

"Thoroughly researched and written. While interesting and thought-provoking, it is a long read. If one enjoys history, this book is for you."

Jack (4/5)

Amazing read

"The story of Robert J. Oppenheimer is one worth reading. He wrestles between morality, defending his country and so much more. The authors do such an amazing job of diving deep into his intricate life, really helping portray his full character. Could not recommend this any more"

Alex S. (5/5)

Long read but you cannot imagine it being any shorter. A must read!

"What a magnificent book. Even if you have seen the Oscar winning movie based on this writing, please I urge you to read this biography. It took twenty five years to research and the details are so intriguing. A walk through history with such clarity."

Gillian (5/5)

Great read

"A detailed and interesting book on the father of the atomic bomb."

BLee (5/5)

Way Better Than Movie!!

"Fascinating & Professional. Extremely well written and researched."

Billv (5/5)

Fascinating and chilling

"This is first and foremost a fascinating and chilling look at the political climate of fear that permeated the United States during the second World War and, in particular, during the early postwar era of McCarthyite red scares. Like all first-rate biographies, it is also a history of the social context of the times. In that respect, it is not quite up to the standard set by Robert Caro - but then, what is? A must-read."

Ted S. (5/5)

Outstanding

"An outstanding read, easily digested and chock full of information and perspective on not just the man, but the times as well. A definite worthy read."

Kevin (5/5)

A Brilliant Mind

"For those of you who love history this is the book for you which gives detailed history of J. Robert Oppenheimer and starts off with his childhood and how brilliant this man was and how he felt about the bomb after it destroyed two Japanese cities. Readers can form their own opinions after reading the book."

Sharon B. (5/5)

Better than the movie!

"Excellent read - I picked this up after watching the movie and wanting to know more/get into more of the details. I was not disappointed. The book is extremely detailed and well written - chapters flow by quickly and leave you wanting more."

S P. (5/5)

Openheimer- AMERICAN PROMETHEUS

"a literal bomb shell of intrigue, info and emotion about that time in history"

MNICKEL (5/5)

Q&A

  • Published date: Apr 11, 2006
  • Language: English
  • No. of Pages: 784
  • Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
  • ISBN: 9780375726262
  • Dimensions: 5.21" W x 1.58" L x 7.97" H
KAI BIRD is an award-winning historian and journalist. Executive director of the Leon Levy Center for Biography, he is the acclaimed author of biographies of John J. McCloy, of McGeorge and William Bundy, Robert Ames, and President Jimmy Carter. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography for American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (co-authored with Martin J. Sherwin), which was adapted into the Academy Award-winning film Oppenheimer. His work has been honored with the BIO Award for his significant contributions to the art and craft of biography. He has also written about the Vietnam War, Hiroshima, nuclear weapons, the Cold War, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the CIA. He lives in New York City and Washington, D.C., with his wife, Susan Goldmark.

MARTIN J. SHERWIN is the Walter S. Dickson Professor of English and American History at Tufts University and author of A World Destroyed: Hiroshima and Its Legacies, which won the Stuart L. Bernath Prize, as well as the American History Book Prize. He and his wife live in Boston and Washington, D.C.

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