Why am I passionate about this?

I have been interested in the nature of scientific discovery, in scientific discoverers, and in particular in how science may operate and even be successful under oppressive regimes. I have lived under a variety of political systems, which has strengthened this personal interest. I have known a number of the heroes of these books and have written about them, too.


I wrote

Buried Glory: Portraits of Soviet Scientists

By Istvan Hargittai,

Book cover of Buried Glory: Portraits of Soviet Scientists

What is my book about?

This book introduces a dozen top Soviet scientists and their lives and careers, providing a glimpse into how the Sovietā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Stalin and the Bomb: The Soviet Union and Atomic Energy, 1939-1956

Istvan Hargittai Why did I love this book?

I found it very interesting how this book provides the background of the development of Soviet nuclear science and the creation of the atomic and hydrogen bombs in the Soviet Union.

It is written by a historian; the narrative is accurate yet accessible. It helped me understand how a country having suffered terrible losses in a devastating war and obsolete infrastructure could become one of the two mightiest superpowers due to its ruthless concentration of resources to a chosen goal and a group of scientists among the worldā€™s best. 

By David Holloway,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Stalin and the Bomb as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For forty years the Soviet-American nuclear arms race dominated world politics, yet the Soviet nuclear establishment was shrouded in secrecy. Now that the Cold War is over and the Soviet Union has collapsed, it is possible to answer questions that have intrigued policymakers and the public for years. How did the Soviet Union build its atomic and hydrogen bombs? What role did espionage play? How did the American atomic monopoly affect Stalin's foreign policy? What was the relationship between Soviet nuclear scientists and the country's political leaders? This spellbinding book answers these questions by tracing the history of Soviet nuclearā€¦


Book cover of Memoirs

Istvan Hargittai Why did I love this book?

For me, the most interesting aspect of this autobiography is its honesty. I already knew a lot about Sakharov when I read this book. I learned about Sakharovā€™s development that he was initially a devoted team member providing the most lethal weapons to a dictatorship, and how he evolved and eventually became a most fearless and forceful human rights advocate in a ruthless dictatorshipā€”in the post-Stalin Soviet era.

I learned how he had opposed the Soviet leader Khrushchev and how he then became enemy No. 1 of the regime under Brezhnev. I found it also instructive how Gorbachev continued playing the role of his predecessors and how he found a formidable opponent in Sakharov. All this I find sadly relevant when I look at todayā€™s Russia and its dictator.

By Andrei D. Sakharov,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Memoirs as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The late Soviet physicist, activist, and Nobel laureate describes his upbringing, scientific work, rejection of Soviet repression, peace and human rights concerns, marriage and family, and persecution by the KGB


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Book cover of Leora's Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II

Leora's Letters by Joy Neal Kidney,

The day the second atomic bomb was dropped, Clabe and Leora Wilsonā€™s postman brought a telegram to their acreage near Perry, Iowa. One son was already in the U.S. Navy before Pearl Harbor had been attacked. Four more sons worked with their father, tenant farmers near Minburn until, one byā€¦

Book cover of My World Line: An Informal Autobiography

Istvan Hargittai Why did I love this book?

I find it fascinating how rich a source Russia has been for talent and how poorly it has utilized them or ejected them. I liked Gamowā€™s personality and his informal style. Most of all, I find it amazing how multifaceted his talent was and that he was not afraid to come up with ideasā€”some fruitful, some mistaken, but always originalā€”in any area of science, regardless of whether he had the proper training in it or not.

The only disappointment was that the autobiography stopped at one point. To me, Gamow symbolizes one of the most important characteristics of scientists: curiosity. In addition, I learned a great deal about the conditions for science in the early period of the Soviet Union.

By George Gamow,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked My World Line as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

George Gamow, a theoretical physicist and cosmologist and an early advocate and developer of LemaĆ®tre's Big Bang theory. was awarded the Kalinga Prize by UNESCO for his popularization of science. Born in Odessa, Russia, he was a colleague of Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Peter Kapitza and Francis Crick. He was a fellow at Cambridge, Univ. of Copenhagen, Univ. of Leningrad, Univ. of London, Washington Univ. (Wash., DC), Univ. of California, Berkeley, and Univ. of Colorado. My World Line is an intimate portrait of an unorthodox, witty and warm man, whose free spirit and creative intuition endeared him to his colleaguesā€¦


Book cover of The Vavilov Affair

Istvan Hargittai Why did I love this book?

From this book, I learned about a most tragic figure in twentieth-century science and a ruthless political system willing to annihilate its best resources to isolate itself from even the slightest Western democratic influence.

I find it improbable how scientists in the early development of the Stalin regime believed in the power of truth and were willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. I find it sadly relevant how many scientists were willing to close their eyes on injustice or become accomplices.

By Mark Popovsky,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Vavilov Affair as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


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Book cover of Brushstrokes in Time

Brushstrokes in Time by Sylvia Vetta,

Historical fiction at its best, according to renowned poet Jenny Lewis. It tells the untold story of the Beijing Spring of 1979.

"..among my top ten historical novels, certainly of this century. Utterly mesmerising and unforgettable:" says Jenny.

"Utterly Brilliant" says Shrenik Rao, the editor of Madras Courier.

Book cover of Kapitza in Cambridge and Moscow: Life and Letters of a Russian Physicist

Istvan Hargittai Why did I love this book?

I find Petr Kapitza a hero, and this book provides both his personal and societal background and his science and actions. I am fascinated by a scientist who, amid conditions of the Soviet system, remained indifferent to titles and positions but was not afraid to use his international recognition to protest the actions of one of the worldā€™s worst dictators.

I also found the book's message about Kapitza to be most convincing in the contribution of one of the editors, David Shoenberg, who had a close relationship with Kapitza and was a significant scientist and discoverer.

By J.W. Boag (editor), P.E. Rubinin (editor), D. Shoenberg (editor)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Kapitza in Cambridge and Moscow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The unusual career of the famous Soviet physicist Peter Kapitza was divided between Cambridge and Moscow. In Cambridge he was a protege of Rutherford and while studying there he opened up a new area of research in magnetism and low temperature physics. However, in 1934, during a summer visit to the Soviet Union, Kapitza was prevented from returning to Cambridge and remained in Moscow for the rest of his long life. In spite of many ups and downs and considerable difficulties in his relations with top political figures in the Kremlin, he continued to enhance his scientific reputation and lateā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Buried Glory: Portraits of Soviet Scientists

By Istvan Hargittai,

Book cover of Buried Glory: Portraits of Soviet Scientists

What is my book about?

This book introduces a dozen top Soviet scientists and their lives and careers, providing a glimpse into how the Soviet Union became a superpower. These scientists made decisive contributions to creating Soviet nuclear might, and some of their discoveries earned them Nobel Prizes.

These Soviet scientists enjoyed privileges that ordinary Soviet citizens could not even dream of. Yet they also felt the iron grip of the Party and State. They could not travel or interact with Western colleagues freely. They lived and worked in a golden cage.

Book cover of Stalin and the Bomb: The Soviet Union and Atomic Energy, 1939-1956
Book cover of Memoirs
Book cover of My World Line: An Informal Autobiography

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Social worker and gerontologist Kathryn Betts Adams spent decades negotiating evolving family dynamics with her colorful and talented parents: her mother, an English scholar and poet, and her father, a pianistā€¦

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