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American Prometheus: The Inspiration for the Major Motion Picture OPPENHEIMER Paperback – May 1, 2006

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 12,905 ratings

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THE INSPIRATION FOR THE ACADEMY AWARD®-WINNING MAJOR MOTION PICTURE OPPENHEIMER • "A riveting account of one of history’s most essential and paradoxical figures.”—Christopher Nolan

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • The definitive biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the iconic figures of the twentieth century, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb for his country in a time of war, and who later found himself confronting the moral consequences of scientific progress.

In this magisterial, acclaimed biography twenty-five years in the making, Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin capture Oppenheimer’s life and times, from his early career to his central role in the Cold War. This is biography and history at its finest, riveting and deeply informative.

“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
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From the Publisher

the inspiration for the major motion picture oppenheimer

a masterful account of oppenheimer's rise and fall says la times book review

winner of the pulitzer prize

the definitive biography says newsweek

Editorial Reviews

Review

“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

From the Back Cover

"American Prometheus is the first full-scale biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, "father of the atomic bomb," the brilliant, charismatic physicist who led the effort to capture the awesome fire of the sun for his country in time of war. Immediately after Hiroshima, he became the most famous scientist of his generation-one of the iconic figures of the twentieth century, the embodiment of modern man confronting the consequences of scientific progress.
He was the author of a radical proposal to place international controls over atomic materials-an idea that is still relevant today. He opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb and criticized the Air Force's plans to fight an infinitely dangerous nuclear war. In the now almost-forgotten hysteria of the early 1950s, his ideas were anathema to powerful advocates of a massive nuclear buildup, and, in response, Atomic Energy Commission chairman Lewis Strauss, Superbomb advocate Edward Teller and FBI director J. Edgar Hoover worked behind the scenes to have a hearing board find that Oppenheimer could not be trusted with America's nuclear secrets.
"American Prometheus sets forth Oppenheimer's life and times in revealing and unprecedented detail. Exhaustively researched, it is based on thousands of records and letters gathered from archives in America and abroad, on massive FBI files and on close to a hundred interviews with Oppenheimer's friends, relatives and colleagues.
We follow him from his earliest education at the turn of the twentieth century at New York City's Ethical Culture School, through personal crises at Harvard and Cambridge universities. Then to Germany, where he studied quantum physics with the world's mostaccomplished theorists; and to Berkeley, California, where he established, during the 1930s, the leading American school of theoretical physics, and where he became deeply involved with social justice causes and their advocates, many of whom were communists. Then to Los Alamos, New Mexico, where he transformed a bleak mesa into the world's most potent nuclear weapons laboratory-and where he himself was transformed. And finally, to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, which he directed from 1947 to 1966.
"American Prometheus is a rich evocation of America at midcentury, a new and compelling portrait of a brilliant, ambitious, complex and flawed man profoundly connected to its major events-the Depression, World War II and the Cold War. It is at once biography and history, and essential to our understanding of our recent past-and of our choices for the future.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Books; Reprint edition (May 1, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 721 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0375726268
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0375726262
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.21 x 1.58 x 7.97 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 12,905 ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book informative and enjoyable. They appreciate the well-researched biography that provides great detail and insight into the subject's life. The story is described as interesting and human, with a thrilling drama. However, some readers feel the print size is too small and the book is too long.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

525 customers mention "Readability"468 positive57 negative

Customers find the book well-written and engaging. They describe it as a comprehensive, balanced biography of a complex man. Readers appreciate the author's thorough research and writing style.

"...The result is a comprehensive and balanced reading of the man through the whole of his life; the Manhattan Project and its aftermath loom large, as..." Read more

"...Bird and Sherwin have written a wonderful book about a complex man and complex problems that we have made little progress in resolving since..." Read more

"...it and feel free to skip pages that bore you, the overall book is an amazing accomplishment, just too long in the tooth for the average reader." Read more

"...This is a fine book. I learned a lot. It is not the kind of book to read in one big gulp though...." Read more

335 customers mention "Information quality"307 positive28 negative

Customers find the book informative and entertaining. They appreciate the thorough research and clear reporting of events. The book provides great detail and insight into history during those years. It helps fill in historical and political gaps for readers, making it an interesting historical read.

"...story of the Trinity test is told here in personalized fragments of detail about numerous individuals - rather than a technical focus on the Gadget..." Read more

"...This detailed and well-researched biography by authors Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin compels us to consider our own professional, political, and moral..." Read more

"...His relationships with other famous physicists of his day are also enlightening and fascinating...." Read more

"...It certainly helps to know the history of our country during those years...." Read more

166 customers mention "Biography quality"166 positive0 negative

Customers find the biography informative and detailed. They say it helps explain the movie and provides an understanding of the complex man and times he lived in. The book is illustrated and referenced, providing amazing insight into Oppenheimer's childhood, schooling, and adult life both during and after the war. Readers describe the physicist as brilliant and well-read, and the story as fascinating.

"Bird and Sherwin have produced what must be the definitive biography of Robert Oppenheimer, finding his unique personality and his remarkable gifts..." Read more

"...It offers amazing insight into Oppenheimer's childhood, schooling, and adult life both during and after the development of the bomb...." Read more

"...That being said, I found Oppenheimer a very interesting person...." Read more

"...This fascinating story of the physicist who oversaw the creation of the atomic bomb is meticulously researched by the authors and offers the reader..." Read more

126 customers mention "Story quality"117 positive9 negative

Customers find the story engaging. They describe it as a fascinating tale of a genius and his struggles. The book captures the subject's complex personality and times. It portrays Oppenheimer as a tragic man of conflict and complexity.

"...in all, it is a moving, compelling, often heart-breaking study of an unique, difficult, indispensable American." Read more

"...Robert Oppenheimer’s life is extraordinary. It is also very human story — although with a level of brilliance, contradictory inspiration, and..." Read more

"...This biography is comprehensive. Tells of his tortured youth, his inability to “fit in.”..." Read more

"...The most interesting part of the story is of course the time at Los Alamos working on the first atomic bomb...." Read more

76 customers mention "Print size"4 positive72 negative

Customers find the book's print size difficult to read. They mention it's too big and hard to hold, with small text that's difficult to read. Some readers also say the book is too long and detailed.

"...the overall book is an amazing accomplishment, just too long in the tooth for the average reader." Read more

"This is not a quick read for sure. The book is so big it’s hard to hold, so probably better to read it on the Kindle...." Read more

"...The print is fairly small. After we watched the film a second time, we wanted to re-read the book...." Read more

"This is a good book, but a bit over long...." Read more

Compelling Reading: An Important Conversation of Our Values as a Society
5 out of 5 stars
Compelling Reading: An Important Conversation of Our Values as a Society
The phrase, "The Story of Our Time" is emphasized within the title of one main bonus feature included with the purchase of Christopher Nolan's film, "Oppenheimer". I wish to declare that a dramatization of the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer in and of itself, is not equivalent to "The [Entire] Story of Our Time," however - due to manifold complications veiled within higher dimensionality not currently understood by the majority of the global population."The [Elaborate] Story of Our Time", involves the existence of one sub-Rosa transnational Fourth Reich Deep National Security State Illegal Secret Government, of which has been disclosed by numerous individuals.I believe it is prudent to express how each one of us, as sentient manifestations in consciousness, plays an imperative role within establishing a collective framework of what people recognize and / or experience, as reality.The following statements are attributed to the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) and the International Consciousness Research Laboratories (ICRL):"Inspired by a profound experience of personal discovery, Apollo 14 astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell created IONS in 1973 to explore the interplay between scientific knowledge and inner knowing.Today, IONS has the world’s largest team of multidisciplinary scientists conducting research on frontier topics in consciousness and its impact in our lives.""The International Consciousness Research Laboratories (ICRL) is a consortium of individuals from all walks of life, united within a shared passion: understanding consciousness for a better tomorrow."STAR, LLC has implemented various copyrighted research, including a comprehensive explanation of reality, within their 8-slide presentation, "Cosmos: The Holographic Conscious Universe".Author Paola Leopizzi Harris first released the relevant publication, "Trinity – The Best-Kept Secret: Meticulous Research Reveals How 'Alien' Technology Has Been Concealed" with coauthor Jacques F. Vallée in 2021, the title of which correlates with the founding atomic weapon test, in the Tularosa Basin of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico on July 16, 1945.J. Robert Oppenheimer's attributed citation of the phrase, "Now I am become Death, The Destroyer of Worlds." from the Bhagavad Gita in 1945, is critical. Earth has experienced steadily increased interest from enlightened extraterrestrial civilizations since the time of the Trinity test, due to the destructive nature nuclear weapons invoke upon higher dimensionality within a veiled construct of quantum physics – the reality of which has been withheld by rogue operatives within a transnational Military Industrial Complex, intent on maintaining an archaic petrodollar-based geopolitical structure, that has brought our civilization and planet towards the brink of biosphere collapse within unnecessary climate and energy crises and various other atrocities.For this reason, authentic Extraterrestrial Vehicles (ETVs) have shown interest at times around incorporated nuclear weapons facilities; yet in no way, do these visitors pose as "threat(s)"!It is therefore important to learn to recognize the need to incorporate acute discernment, in our naivety… we cannot necessarily trust corporate mainstream media outlets, because of Intelligence Community infiltration. In truth, a psychological warfare program was unleashed in the late 1940s / early 1950s, based upon the corrupt desires of the Military Industrial Complex, against enlightened extraterrestrial civilizations; this is why almost all "national security" interests / corporate mainstream media representations of extraterrestrials have and continue to condition homo sapiens (humanity, who share 98.8% of DNA with chimpanzees, who are known to form groups in warring against one another), to "fear the unknown" / all things "alien" within what is referred to as, deceptive Indication & Warning(s) {I & W [False Flag (Military terminology)]} scenarios.Transcendental meditation, as utilized within various pursuits including but not limited to prayer, utilizes higher capacities of the sentient mind, which have historically been miscategorized as the stuff of science fiction, or that of which may merely be available to a few gifted "psychics".Please witness the following, eluding to the reality of quantum physics:"When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love…If you desire with all your heart, friendship with every race on earth, your thought, spiritual and positive, will spread; it will become the desire of others, growing stronger and stronger, until it reaches the minds of all men…"Excerpted from the compilation "Paris Talks"; "The Pitiful Causes of War, and the Duty of Everyone to Strive for Peace" – 'Abdu'l-Bahá, October 21st, 1911Additional resources include but are not limited to the following:Secrets of Power, Volume I - The Individual Empowerment vs. The Societal Panorama of Power and Depowerment, by Ingo SwannSecrets of Power, Volume II - The Vitalizing of Individual Powers, by Ingo SwannPhenomena - The Secret History of the U. S. Government's Investigations Into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis, by Annie JacobsenEverybody's Guide to Natural ESP, by Ingo SwannPenetration: The Question of Extraterrestrial & Human Telepathy, by Ingo SwannSecrets of Antigravity Propulsion: Tesla, UFOs and Classified Aerospace Technology, by Paul A. LaViolette, Ph. D.Documentary Films:SiriusUnacknowledged: An Exposé of the World's Greatest SecretClose Encounters of the Fifth Kind: Contact Has BegunThe Cosmic Hoax: An ExposéThe Lost Century: And How to Reclaim It
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2014
    Bird and Sherwin have produced what must be the definitive biography of Robert Oppenheimer, finding his unique personality and his remarkable gifts in every facet of his life, from childhood to scientific/political triumph to his persecuted twilight. The book - 25 years in the making! - is exhaustively researched and illuminates the trajectory of his life in intimate detail from beginning to end.

    Oppenheimer's reputation, of course, rests on his unprecedented and unequaled achievement in planning and running the Manhattan Project to its final earth-shaking success in August 1945, and secondarily on his post-war role as sachem of nuclear policy and his political destruction by Cold War hawks who resented his warnings about the threat to peace from unlimited nuclear competition. But Bird and Sherwin give each stage of Oppenheimer's life its due, including his gilded childhood, his troubled educational years, his rise to scientific prominence as the reigning American exponent of the new physics in the 1930s, and finally his mordant recasting as, essentially, speaker for the dead in the unstoppable post-war madness. Though Oppenheimer's life, from the late '30s on, was shaped and dominated by the atomic bomb he birthed and regretted, each successive period in that life was filled with its own personal drama and with the characteristically quirky incidents in which Oppenheimer tended to enmesh himself, and which said so much about his complex personality. The result is a comprehensive and balanced reading of the man through the whole of his life; the Manhattan Project and its aftermath loom large, as they have to, but they do not obscure the fact that there was a real person underneath those historic events, and that person comes through in a rich, subtle, and - inevitably - somewhat inconclusive portrait.

    The authors do not shy away from writing their own opinions into the story, giving reasonable interpretations of the many controversial incidents in Oppenheimer's life, but which are clearly interpretations nevertheless. The book is deeply researched and the events are reported with clear and extensive factual support; it is easy to read their reconstructions of the history as authoritative. It is necessary to remind oneself that other interpretations are possible, however compelling these authors are in their presentation. At the same time, the authors are open about identifying their own interpretations as such; the material seems fairly and honestly presented, and the authors' conclusions are convincing.

    The story of the Manhattan Project has been told many times, and this volume adds little to what is already known, though it illuminates the terrible strain of the project on Oppenheimer in a powerful way. The dramatic story of the Trinity test is told here in personalized fragments of detail about numerous individuals - rather than a technical focus on the Gadget - that gives that history a new and unique meaning. The treatment of the AEC investigation that led to Oppenheimer being stripped of his security clearance and government advisory role is perhaps the strongest part of the whole book - a tour de force of historical research, reportorial detail, and logical interpretation that makes it abundantly clear how shockingly dishonest that process was, and what a contrived and deliberate campaign of personal destruction drove it. Throughout, Oppenheimer's fascinating and often self-destructive personality is illuminated in intriguing detail. There is no part of the volume that does not make fascinating reading.

    It seems likely that "American Prometheus" will be the touchstone biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer for the foreseeable future (and, probably, forever: this will likely be the last major such work grounded so fully on primary research among surviving figures from Oppenheimer's life). It is strongly recommended to anyone with an interest in Oppenheimer as a person, as a scientist, and as a world figure. It is not a major contribution to the history of the Manhattan Project in its practical aspects, but does illuminate many of the personalities involved and life on "the Hill" during the project. It is exhaustive and authoritative on the subject of Oppenheimer's pre-war political dalliances and his post-war persecution. All in all, it is a moving, compelling, often heart-breaking study of an unique, difficult, indispensable American.
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2023
    American Prometheus
    The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
    This book, in essence, is about one man’s struggle to define morality and his corollary effort to define responsibilities related to love of country. As such, it is timeless. The struggle between what we can do and what we ought to do continues 78 years since the detonation of atomic bombs over Japanese cities.

    Robert Oppenheimer’s life is extraordinary. It is also very human story — although with a level of brilliance, contradictory inspiration, and naiveté that surpasses ordinary mortals. This detailed and well-researched biography by authors Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin compels us to consider our own professional, political, and moral standards and contradictions.

    Oppenheimer in the 1930s was not so much ignorant of politics as indifferent, the authors tell us. As was the case with many who questioned capitalism during the Great Depression, he had many friends who were committed to the Communist Party and leftist ideology, including those who were formal members of the party and those who were sympathetic to many of its ideas. But Oppenheimer never himself became a propagandist for Communist ideas.

    Later, when Oppenheimer assumed responsibility for the Manhattan Project and was aware of the importance of secrecy, he didn’t cut off socializing with those who were “fellow travelers” or more, but simply insured that he revealed nothing about the project itself. On several occasions he was lackadaisical, failing to report at least one attempt to get him to convey technical secrets to a longstanding friend who he knew to be a Communist. Later interrogated by FBI agent Boris Pash about being approached, he not only refused to name that person but unaccountably suggested two fictitious incidents had occurred. This casual response, taking place without a lawyer, came to haunt him.

    What Oppenheimer didn’t realize was the extent to which he had been targeted by J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI because of his relationships with those on the left. The authors also explain that formal membership in the Communist Party was usually secret and one’s degree of party commitment was ill-defined. Thus as Hoover’s agents interviewed party members, many assumed that Oppenheimer was “one of us” and stated this belief to the FBI. Many of the FBI’s files contained unverified hearsay. Additional “evidence” against Oppenheimer was collected in illegal wiretaps that the FBI hid from Oppenheimer, his attorneys and shared only with those who would ultimately judge whether he was a security risk.

    At the end of the war Oppenheimer misjudged Lewis Strauss, who was appointed head of the Atomic Energy Commission. He held Strauss is open contempt and thereby guaranteed that Strauss became an enemy and would dedicate himself to Oppenheimer’s persecution and ultimate loss of a security clearance.

    The book makes a case that Oppenheimer was man brilliant in many ways, but even more extraordinary as an individual who could rise to new occasions. Thus, this theoretical physicist who never managed a bureaucracy became a practical and charismatic leader who led hundreds of top scientists and thousands of others to develop the atomic bomb.

    Once having successfully tested the device, Oppenheimer and his fellow scientists had no say in how the bomb would be employed — although they certainly were aware that it could be used against civilian targets. So the actually consequences of their work came as a shock and in Oppenheimer’s case, apparent depression.

    Immediately after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Oppenheimer drafted a report arguing that 1) It will be impossible for the United States to have a monopoly on bomb technology, 2) No military countermeasures will prevent effective delivery of atomic weapons, and 3) Devices will become bigger and more lethal. Thus there was a critical need to find a way to make future wars impossible.

    Together with physicist Isidor Rabi, he proposed that the U.S. relinquish control over the bomb and the use of nuclear energy to an international body. If a nation pursued the bomb they would be banned from the peaceful use of atomic energy such as in power plants. Oppenheimer was appointed to a Board of Consultants chaired by Dean Acheson and with General Leslie Groves and other prominent men among the membership. In March, 1946 they produced a report, largely written by Oppenheimer, that called for an international agency that would have sovereignty over uranium mines, nuclear power plants, and laboratories.

    Oppenheimer also opposed the development of the hydrogen or “Super” bomb, which put him in conflict with Edward Teller, Strauss, and much of the military — particularly the Air Force.

    Whether the surrender of control over nuclear weapons was ever realistic, events soon scuttled the idea due to the Soviet Union’s control of Eastern Europe and its own development of an atomic bomb.

    By this time, Oppenheimer realized that the idea of international control would not take place and again shifted his position, accepting that the United States had to defend its own sovereignty against others who possessed nuclear weapons. But in effect he had always been a patriot, arguing as he saw it for what was in U.S. national interest as well as essential to mankind.

    Bird and Sherwin have written a wonderful book about a complex man and complex problems that we have made little progress in resolving since Oppenheimer’s time. The man was unfairly judged in his time. His warnings are pertinent today.
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2023
    I purchased this book in anticipation of the Christopher Nolan movie about Oppenheimer coming out in the summer of 2023. It offers amazing insight into Oppenheimer's childhood, schooling, and adult life both during and after the development of the bomb. I found the book very tedious on topics that I would not relate directly to Oppenheimer. Essentially every person he interacted with during his life is scrutinized in minute detail. At a paperback length in excess of 700 pages, this scrutiny is just too much and in my opinion really waters down the overall story. The details of how Oppenheimer's mind works and how he matures from a shy physics phenom to a lady's man is all very interesting. His relationships with other famous physicists of his day are also enlightening and fascinating. You simply can't fault the writers for their in-depth research and level of detail. That being said, this book is in need of serious editing. It would be perfect around 400 pages, but 700 pages that often go into day-by-day detail of mundane events in and around Oppenheimer are just too much to handle. If you are a scientist or politician, or historian of 1950's era anti-Communist activities, you might like some of the minutia. For a casual science fan and lover of history, I found it to be excessive. Kudo's to the writers for their ability to dive into Oppenheimer's life on every level, shame on the editors for not cleaning up the final product. I'd say buy it and feel free to skip pages that bore you, the overall book is an amazing accomplishment, just too long in the tooth for the average reader.
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  • Carlos Granadino
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Mexico on December 8, 2024
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  • ryan G
    5.0 out of 5 stars great read
    Reviewed in Canada on August 3, 2024
    Loved the narrative, gives a great context to the “Red Scare” of the 50s and how so many could get swept up in it after their passions to help the poor and downtrodden in the 1920s and 1930s.
  • Tudo conforme o combinado! Agradeço e recomendo.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Recomendo
    Reviewed in Brazil on March 25, 2024
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    Tudo conforme o combinado! Agradeço e recomendo.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Recomendo
    Reviewed in Brazil on March 25, 2024

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  • Sabine Ba.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Top
    Reviewed in Germany on November 12, 2024
    War ein Geschenk
  • P I Payne
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good read but very long
    Reviewed in France on June 22, 2024
    Has extensive coverage of Oppenheimer