• 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
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (4,220 ratings)

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American Prometheus  By  cover art

American Prometheus

By: Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin
Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
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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)

Featured Article: 12 Thrilling History Listens to Get Ready for Oppenheimer


Dubbed the "father of the atomic bomb," J. Robert Oppenheimer was a theoretical physicist who gained notoriety for the role he played in the Manhattan Project and the creation of the very first nuclear weapon. After the atomic bomb was developed, it was deployed by the United States to destroy the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These listens provide historical context about the man at the center of Christopher Nolan's biopic.

What listeners say about American Prometheus

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An American Tragedy

This is a haunting story of a brilliant man, and what the ugly demagogues of the 50's did to him. It captures the man, his charisma, phenomenal mind, surprising shortcomings, and as well his era with it's endless martinis, cigarettes, political naivite and grey-flannel evil. Truly a compelling "read."

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Thorough and Revealing

If you have enough patience for this very thorough biography, then you will be rewarded. By the end, I had come to believe that I had a good grasp of who Oppenheimer was, and what he had contributed to the scientific community. I also really, really hated McCarthyism, and felt that the country had done the man a deservice. I had heard much about the events of the Manhattan Project before hearing this, but I knew very little about the early days of post-war bomb development. I found those details especially rivetting.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

well worth the time

This book above all is a full and detailed review of a brilliant man's life, including his successes, failures, weaknesses and strengths. Its volume is necessary because of the immense complexity of Oppenheimer's work and relationships. It reveals that great intellect can lead to heroic deeds (manhattan project) and unfortunate missteps (his marital and familial relationships). Most impressively, the authors take great effort to provide insight into the unfortunate McCarthy era and its effect on individuals and the nation as a whole.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Oppenheimer

The book is a fine description of an extremely unusual man, and it is read with an appropriate level of feeling. The reader, though, should have learned how to pronounce the names of persons and places. A significant number are pronounced incorrectly.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

I can't tell how good this is....

It may be one of those books I need to read on paper. This narrator is just awful.
His mispronunciations and outright mistakes make the writers sound stupid, but I can't believe that they are. Whenever he's quoting "important" scientists, he puts on this weird mincing voice, as if fame turns people into drag queens. I wish there was a way to get my credits back on this one. I don't blame the narrator. He'd probably be great with children's books. My question: Why wouldn't the publisher pick an educated, professional narrator for subject matter like this?

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Openheimer

A masterful account of one of history's most portentous moments, experienced through the life of a great genius whose complicity in evil (the bomb) eats at him as the eagle does the liver of Prometheus.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

VERY WELL DONE

I Have to admit that I stalled on this for awhile, but was ampaly rewarded for returning to this listen and finishing. What a story! what a man! A remarkable book in the end. I would label this REQUIRED READING for the history revealed from many different critical points. Aspects of this book still haunt me. A very well researched, revealing and rewarding read. Well written and narrated

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting history

Very well done, but more detail than you really need to know. It gives a good history of politics and education in the twentieth century.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • TM
  • 08-08-14

Exhaustive but Dry

Any additional comments?

This book was written from the perspective of laying out all possible evidence from Oppenheimer's earliest days to his final ones to answer the questions regarding his associations with Communism. Obviously this issue would eventually become what he was famous for and it needed to be addressed, but every aspect of his life, even the production of the A-bomb was seen through this lens - who he met with, what he is recorded to have said to this person, what the FBI were investigating etc.

I was hoping the book would include a narrative of his life, perhaps an exciting one. A narrative that perhaps would include the inside story of the manhattan project or other scientific discoveries.

But it was a rather dry, but seemingly thoroughly researched book that addressed only readers who wanted to know that answer to the questions of his political motivations and associations. Again, whilst an important part of a biography of the man, it should only have been part, rather than the hole focus.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

2/3 fascinating history and 1/3 political pamphlet

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The authors have a fascinating story to tell but lose credibility by forcing their obvious political biases on the reader. The book feels like a pamphlet against the (bad) Republicans and glosses over Soviet spying during that era. Also, portraying Lewis Strauss as evil incarnate seems highly out of place and biased, almost like settling old scores. American and European communist sympathizers, the "useful idiots" (Stalin's own words) are portrayed with too much sympathy for my taste, having lived in their nightmarish society.

Would you ever listen to anything by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin again?

Not very likely.

What does Jeff Cummings bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Jeff Cummings delivers the perfect audio, one can almost hear the talking from that era.

Did American Prometheus inspire you to do anything?

Yes, at least to check up in the Wikipedia for facts.

Any additional comments?

I was hoping to get a quality historical narrative, but got some aggravation instead.

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8 people found this helpful