American Prometheus

The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

784 pages

English language

Published April 11, 2006 by Vintage.

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3 stars (1 review)

2 editions

Good but read The Making of the Atomic Bomb instead

3 stars

The bomb is used halfway through this book and the rest is about the tragedy of the McCarthy era. It includes a play-by-play of terrible moments in anti-communist fear mongering. It's worthwhile history though not nearly as interesting as the complexities of Oppenheimer's success in leading scientists with competing egos under immense pressure.