The best biography I've ever read. This isn't just about Oppenheimer, though you will get plenty of information about him. This is the story of physics and physicists. This is a story about the time in history where the citizen scientist was a real force. This is about the very real threat of Communism and the very real misapplication of that threat. It is a story about a scientist who helped mankind figure out how to destroy itself. ( )

A good pick for our first book club, I thought. Provoked a lot of discussion. Oppenheimer lead a fascinating life, and the authors did a great job telling his story. ( )

A well written biography about an interesting person. It also gives insight into the anti-communist hysteria of the early 50s.

Read in June, 2007 ( )

I'm at a bit of a loss to explain my reaction to this book.

Perhaps, it's due in part to reading it immediately after the rather weak 109 East Palace.

Perhaps, it's due simply to how well done it is.

All I know is that I recommend it. Highly.

American Prometheus is a 784 page paperback book that despite its length is never dense. In crafting their biography, the authors wisely made the decision not to get weighed down with the science that played such a central role in the protagonist's life.

The reader is treated to a clearheaded depiction of a compelling man, one which makes no bones about his flaws while at the same time celebrating his triumphs. The book delves into Oppenheimer's life from start to finish and provides the reader with a perceptive perspective on his motivations.

The section on the Gray Board hearings and the concomitant government abuses which culminated with Oppenheimer's loss of his security clearance is eerily reminiscent of the government misdeeds during the Watergate era (in the news recently due to the death of Mark Felt) and the more recent attack on civil liberties which we have suffered through under the current administration. ( )

A very well-written biography; lengthy, greatly detailed, compelling and telling. It prompted great discussion in our book group about both the man and the work. ( )

Oppenheimer had an interesting life and a well-rounded intellect. His early ties with communism led to recurring conflicts with the FBI and others. He also upset a lot of high-ups with his talk about the immorality of using the atomic bombs and his concerns about development of the hydrogen bomb. Highly recommended. ( )

aka "An American Tragedy" - biography at its best, melded with social and political history. Particularly notable for the sense of place conveyed through detailed description of cultural environments: cultured intellectual New York in the 1910s; alternative New Mexico in the 1930s; progressive San Francisco in the early 1940s; Los Alamos; academic Princeton in the 1950s. ( )

I would have given 5 stars to this magisterial biography of Robert Oppenheimer, but I thought it was very light on the science. I can't imagine that anyone will soon do a better job on the political aspects of his life, though. ( )

This definitive life of J. Robert Oppenheimer follows his brilliant career in theoretical physics, and his leadership of the atomic bomb effort at Los Alamos. Sherwin and Bird paint an interesting portrait of Oppie as a man of passion-supporting the Depression era efforts of the American Communist party to aid Spanish Civil War refugees and other Popular Front activities--as well as patriot, clearly supporting the efforts of the United States to develop a weapon that could win the war. Working with the military and its invasive security apparatus while providing the leadership to solve the technical problems facing the Los Alamos scientists, the Trinity test of July 1945, and the atomic bombings of Japan were Oppenheimer's triumph.

The story continues as Oppenheimer did his best to corral the American impulse to launch into a bomb-building race to insure an atomic monopoly. Seeking to derail the research into the development of the hydrogen bomb, internationalize the control of fissionable materials, and defuse a coming, dangerous nuclear arms race. The second half of the story is about Oppenheimer's conflicts with an increasingly conservative, anti-Communist bureaucracy, and supporters of the newly powerful Senator Joseph McCarthy. The withdrawal of his security clearance in 1954, through an incredibly unfair process, marks the end of scientists involved in the public policy process, and the beginning of the flight of scientists to corporate interests that became integral to the military/industrial complex.

Not a short read, but well written, a narrative that doesn't bog down. ( )

This is a Pulitzer-prize winning biography of the father of the atomic bomb: J. Robert Oppenheimer. He famously quoted Hindu scripture upon seeing the first atomic bomb detonate, saying “I am become death, destroyer of worlds”. He ushered in a new era of warfare, and this quote certainly rings true.
Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin chart his life from his youth and depression, which was cured by a book, his studies in theoretical physics, and his involvement in the Manhattan project, to his death in 1967 from throat cancer. The authors delve into much detail in this massive book, and analyse him psychologically, making it a more complete and rounded portrait of him. They show him warts and all, and give much-needed justification for his often bizarre actions, such as when he gave a lecturer a poisoned apple.
The tragedy of his life was that only after completing the atomic bomb did he fully comprehend the danger it posed to humanity. Ironically, he campaigned against its use, and the government worked at destroying his post-war reputation to prevent him from swaying public opinion against the development of a hydrogen bomb. He was vilified as a "Communist Sympathizer" during the McCarthy witch hunts, and became a traitor in the eyes of many Americans. Oppenheimer considered himself a patriot, so all of this was devastating to him.
In general he comes across as an imposing intellectual, blissfully unaware of the consequences of his actions and socially inept until later in life. Oppenheimer is a fascinating figure, and the parallel between him and Prometheus, the god who gave men fire and was punished for it, is an apt one in a sense. However, Oppenheimer did not have the foresight (Prometheus is Greek for foresight) to see the repercussions the creation of an atomic bomb would have. Perhaps hindsight (Prometheus’ brother, Epimetheus) would be a more relevant comparison for this figure. But I suppose that is the nature of wisdom and experience; it is given to those who no longer have much use for it.
Over 25 years of research has gone into this biography, and it shows. It is rich in historical detail and personal accounts, which give the reader great insight into his life. The authors debunk the charges the American government laid against Oppenheimer, and restore humanity to this complex and often demonised man. ( )

4156 American Prometheus The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin (read 25 Apr 2006) (Pulitzer Biography prize for 2006) (National Book Critics Circle biography award for 2006) This is a really great book, telling of a dramatic life: his education and triumphs in physics, his left-wing days in the 1930s, and his running the Los Alamos atomic bomb project. His "trial" in 1954, which resulted in his being barred from working for the Government, is well-told and of high interest. This is a really great biography and reads well. A really enthralling book, I think. ( )

Among a raft of biographies that depend almost comically on Freudian psychology to draw studies of their characters, this one stands out as mostly avoiding that tool, and still managing to paint a picture of the person rather than of just his accomplishments.

Oppenheimer was very much a victim of the times in which he worked and lived, and the authors also do a very good job of sketching in just enough historical perspective to put Oppenheimer in a "place" historically without drowning readers in events and dates.

Overall, a nice way to break into biography for people new to the genre, because it reads much more like a novel than a textbook. Well deserving of its award-winner status. ( )

Yet another book that makes you sick over the long and evil reign of J. Edgar Hoover. In this instance, Hoover is aided and abetted by the viciousness of Lewis Strauss, who never could forgive Oppenheimer for snubbing him in public. The authors explore Oppenheimer's life, all the while trying to figure out how he could have such "quickness of mind, amazing ability to synthesize ideas, and enormous gifts and capacities of every kind" and yet be "defenseless on the stand." (quotes from 109 East Palace recounting I.I. Rabi's frustration with Oppenheimer's failure to stand up to his persecutors.) It's a sad book, albeit fascinating, and ultimately one agrees with Rabi that "Oppenheimer was a man who was put together of many bright shining splinters." (JAF)

Superb character analysis, genius, warts and all