American Prometheus

The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

By: Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin

Narrated by: Jeff Cummings

Length: 26 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE OPPENHEIMER

J. Robert Oppenheimer is 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.

When he proposed international controls over atomic materials, opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb, and criticized plans for a nuclear war, his ideas were anathema to powerful advocates of a massive nuclear buildup during the anti-Communist hysteria of the early 1950s. They declared that Oppenheimer could not be trusted with America’s nuclear secrets.

In this magisterial biography twenty-five years in the making, which won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for biography, the authors capture Oppenheimer’s life and times, from his early career to his central role in the Cold War.

©2005 Kai Bird; 2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"The definitive biography...Oppenheimer's life doesn't influence us. It haunts us." ( Newsweek)

"[A] profoundly fascinating, richly complex, and ineffably sad American life.... Bird and Sherwin are without peer...in capturing the humanity of the man." ( Booklist)

"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." ( New York Times)

If you're into science or history, you'll like it.

An amazing and important book. I learned so much about the Communist Party in the US pre-WWII and the "Red Scare" post WWII.

Oppenheimer was a complicated man, but no doubt brilliant, patriotic, and important.

It's so crazy to see this figure overlapped with Einstein and Feynman and Bohr, among others.

My favorite bit of the book came towards the end. Oppenheimer on style:

"The problem of doing justice to the implicit, the imponderable, and the unknown is of course not unique in politics. It is always with us in science, it is with us in most trivial of personal affairs, and it is one of the great problems of writing and of all forms of art. The means by which it is solved is sometimes called style. It is style which complements affirmation with limitation and with humility; it is style which makes it possible to act effectively, but not absolutely; it is style which, in the domain of foreign policy, enables us to find harmony between the pursuit of ends essential to us, and the regard for the views, the sensibilities, the aspirations of those to whom the problem may appear in another light; it is style which is the deference that action pays to uncertainty; it is above all style though which power defers to reason."

My only critique is style, ironically. A large amount of the book is quotes from FBI interviews and wiretaps. Lot's of back and forth which made the content, at times, difficult and tedious to follow.

The production quality was jumpy at times. Clearly lots of editing and very obvious cuts. Asides from hiccups, the quality of the performance was top-notch.

Informative In-depth Accounting

This book was very informative of the man and the personalities and cross currents of the times.

Really great. Highly recommended biography.

A fascinating biography of both the American scientist and Cold War America. Tragic yet stoic, Oppenheimer beared the mantle of "destroyer of worlds" with savoir faire...

What a life!

Would you consider the audio edition of American Prometheus to be better than the print version?

Yes, I got bogged down in the print version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

J. Robert Oppenheimer, of course, he was the central character; the reason I wanted to hear the book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

So many things about the book shocked me. I just couldn't believe that this man would risk affairs given security issues. I couldn't believe the unjust way this man was treated.

Any additional comments?

J. Robert Oppenheimer's burial was very interesting.

Well researched and Illuminating

This well researched, illuminating account of Oppenheimer's life, goes to great lengths to describe his murky relationship to the Communist Party and it's various members. While at the same time filling out the more personal aspects of the famed Manhattan Project leader's life.

fascinating looking to his life

The audio performance on this book had a lot of dubbing and changes in inflection and tone all throughout the book, and I had a hard time finishing it.

engrossing

Great, informative listen about one of the most important person of the 20th century. The performance is clean and clear. However my minor critique would be that I would have liked more character nuance in the tone.

Outstanding

This book’s depth provides great insight into Oppenheimer as a man’s d scientist.

The A-Bomb was a great use of his talents.

Great story - frustrating audio quality

I thought the story was a fascinating view into a compelling story. I thoroughly enjoyed the history. On the other hand, it was marred by a choppy audio recording, in which the audio quality jumped around hundreds if not thousands of times in the recording. There was a constant switch between studio-quality sound, and something akin to a voice recorded on a Walkman in a bathroom. Irritating, but the story stands on its own and I would still recommend it for its historical importance.

Dishonesty on every page

Attempt to clean up Oppenheimer’s reputation is so well written and so clearly focused that it becomes easy to read between the lines. Oppie was a communist, a traitor, and a liar (besides being a homicidal schizophrenic). The author relies on the lack of any signed membership card in the CP to dismiss any and all objections to oppie as a patriotic American doing his patriotic best.