Play Book Tag discussion

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin
5 stars + ♥

The new movie Oppenheimer is getting rave reviews from critics and friends alike. But, as soon as I heard the movie was inspired by the Pulitzer Prize winning American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer I knew that I would be going straight to the source. Throw in a serendipitous GR book group selection of "moral dilemma" and I headed straight to the library for the audiobook.

I love a good narrative nonfiction, and this was excellent. We followed Oppenheimer from early childhood through college (where we learned a bit too much about his awkward sex live), dove into the Los Alamos and the Manahattan Project (which was a veritable who's who of Nobel laureates), and waded through the minefields of McCarthyism (seriously, is Strauss the worst human being ever?!).

The writing was extraordinary. Twenty-seven hours flew by and I was enthralled nearly the whole time. There were a lot of characters, and I had trouble keeping them straight at times, but was just so star struck as icons of physics and chemistry popped up on every page. Can you imagine just tooling around Princeton, NJ, and running into Oppenheimer, Einstein, and Bohr just casually debating quantum theory?? Be still my heart.

But this wasn't just a nerdy science history. It was full of hot goss too! Y'all Oppenheimer was a ladies' man! Women seemed to just fall at his feet once he got out of his awkward uni days (I wish I could UNread his erotic poetry from his college years). There were all kinds of interpersonal dynamics among the scientists and their respective couples, and it felt a bit like Real Housewives of the Atomic Era at times.

Ultimately, I am just in awe of Oppenheimer. He was a genius. Sacrificed so much to help his country. Wrestled with the moral implications of developing the atom bomb and then fought against the development of the H bomb. Then ultimately was betrayed by his country in the ultimate cancel culture era of the Red Scare.

I cannot recommend this book enough if you are a fan of American history, sciences, or -- even better -- a combo of the two.

**A note on the audiobook: It was middling at best. The narrator was fine, but the production quality was low. You would think they would have rerecorded it leading up to the movie release, but apparently not. However, there was no wait list for the audio in the bustling metropolis of Boston and I renewed it three times, indicating no waitlist. So, perhaps I am the only fool committed to over a full day of listening about the life and times of Oppenheimer. lol

Great review. Now I *really* want to read this. I'm really interested in this story, I only know the basics now. I like science, and I'm fascinated by all the other issues that affect decision making processes in science - ethical and moral issues, long-term v short term pressures, opposing motives, leadership, group think, personalities, power, politics, etc. That whole era with McCarthy is interesting too, and I had forgotten how these big areas overlapped. I might break up the long book into big chunks (like a series) to help keep focus.

With the low production quality, do you think it's better suited for a quiet house than a car?

My husband is on a long trip with my son, and I think they'd like it too - but they don't like to have a book on in the car all the time like I do. They're really old fashioned. They talk and listen to music.

Nicole R wrote: "So, perhaps I am the only fool committed to over a full day of listening about the life and times of Oppenheimer...."
No, you are not the only one. Glad to see you enjoyed it. I read it earlier this year not even realizing a movie would be coming out! I need to see it.

Nancy, I think you could listen to it in a car. It wasn’t quiet, necessarily, just not well regulated. I listened to a lot of it in a car, and the rest of it walking around Boston with lots of background noise.