About book American Prometheus: The Triumph And Tragedy Of J. Robert Oppenheimer (2007)
J. Robert Oppenheimer is called "the father of the atomic bomb," which is a shorthand way of saying that we know he did something important as the scientific director of the Manhattan Project, but we just aren't sure what that was. What I mean is that Oppenheimer never made a great discovery or proposed a great theory. He wasn't Rutherford explaining the atom's nucleus. He wasn't Bohr, modeling the atom. He wasn't Lawrence, inventing the cyclotron to smash atoms. And he wasn't Fermi, developing the nuclear reactor. Oppenheimer was a synthesizer, an understander, and an explainer. His genius - and he was a genius - was to know what all these other geniuses were talking about, and to be able to put all these different discoveries together to create something good. Or in this case, the atomic bomb.American Prometheus is a hefty biography of this enigmatic, brilliant, flawed man. The dual authors, Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, spent a great deal of time on this book, and it shows. Along with an impressive bibliography, they have conducted personal interviews with key players. The fact that some of these interviews date to the seventies show that the authors have been at work on this project for a long time (much longer, in fact, than it took for Los Alamos team to churn out a nuclear weapon). The fact that these guys worked so long is a pretty good indication that they are fans of J. Robert. This is also obvious from the title, an allusion to the Titan who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to the mortals. For this crime, Prometheus was punished. During the day, he was chained to a rock and had his liver eaten by an eagle. During the night, his liver regenerated, and was eaten again the next day.Oppenheimer makes for a great character, and in a way, the allusion to Greek mythology is apt, and something Oppenheimer himself would have enjoyed. He was brilliant, and not just in the sciences. His interests and his intellect encompassed poetry, philosophy, history, and languages. The problem, however, was that he knew his own intelligence, but not its limits. This made him overbearing, brusque, impatient, condescending, and inflexible. These traits - tragic flaws, if you will - lead to his downfall at the hands of his Red baiting fellow scientist, Lewis Strauss. American Prometheus is a fine book. Just fine. It is packed full of information. It is well sourced. It gives the whole sweep of Oppenheimer's life. And not just the science. The book gets right into the messy details: the rampant adultery; the alcoholic wife; the political tone-deafness; his callous willingness to name names, once he became famous; and his final passive surrender to his enemies. Still, I didn't love this book. I didn't even like it very much. My criticisms, I suppose, can be traced to the subtitle: the triumph and the tragedy. Oppenheimer's triumph was his role in birthing the atomic bomb. The problem, though, is that I can't figure out what he did. The book is full of people telling me how great he was, and how the project couldn't have succeeded without him, but this is a case of telling, not showing. In fact, I felt the Los Alamos portions of the book, which should have been the most important, were disorganized and confusing. I think the problem stems from a lack of context. Now, don't get me wrong, I hate physics. Indeed, I dislike even simple arithmetic with great passion. However, the science is important to this story, and it's just missing from the book. The authors break down Oppenheimer's field of quantum physics in one or two un-illuminating sentences. The achievements of the other scientists are barely mentioned, if they're mentioned at all. If I were to read just this book, I would have no idea about the process it took to create the atomic bomb. (Thankfully, I have read Richard Rhodes' masterful The Making of the Atomic Bomb. Despite the odd, semi-creepy title, this is a remarkable book that combines wonderfully understandable science writing with an eloquent, vivid narrative). Once the bomb is dropped, the story moves onto the guilt of the scientists. I wouldn't like this part no matter how well it was written. The scientists who worked on the bomb, then opposed its use, have always come across as myopic babies. They jumped headfirst into a program to create a super bomb, and then reacted with shock - shock! - that it might be dropped on people. Hey, geniuses, way to think ahead. Their shifting morality is a combination of hypocrisy and shame intended to hide their earlier craven desire to see if the damn thing would work. Take a stand and stick with it. I don't really care for Edward Teller and his disturbing ruminations on a bomb that could destroy the whole world, but at least he was intellectually consistent (and consistently crazy). Oppenheimer was at the vanguard of scientists who wanted to be open with the Soviet Union about nuclear arms, thereby hoping to forestall an arms race. Maybe this was naive. Maybe this might have worked. In any event, it's not the kind of position to have if you were ever part of the Communist movement. By this time, though, Oppenheimer's ego had inflated to the point where he thought he was untouchable. He went around preaching "candor" while also holding a top-secret security clearance as a consultant to the Atomic Energy Commission. This proved a mistake, especially while Senator Joseph McCarthy was holding office. Eventually, Lewis Strauss orchestrated a kangaroo-court hearing in which Oppenheimer was stripped of his security clearance. Hence, the tragedy of the subtitle.This period of American history always gets me fiercely agitated and there are few historical figures I hate as much as Joe McCarthy. It just boggles my mind. McCarthy and his henchman, Richard Nixon among them, essentially managed to outlaw liberalism. Anyone who supported unions, or segregation, or equal pay for women, could have their lives destroyed by the flabby, red-faced, alcoholic senator from Wisconsin.Those who dare side with McCarthy have always pointed out the fact that the Communist Party had a revolutionary ethos. The problem with this argument, though, is that there is a line between literally overthrowing a democratically elected government (by force of arms) and overthrowing the government democratically (which pretty much happened a couple weeks ago in Massachusetts). McCarthy and Nixon weren't really interested in protecting America. They were interested in protecting themselves, and their positions in government. And what better way to do this than make your ideological opponents criminals? Thus, Oppenheimer, who at worst was a New Dealer, could have his reputation damaged and his future in government destroyed. The Red Scare was a farce, and if there was any justice at all, it was that McCarthy was eventually shunned and died a disgraced drunk at the age of 48. That rant aside, the "tragedy" of Oppenheimer didn't seem all that terrible. It felt, in fact, quite overblown by the authors. So he lost his security clearance. Big deal. He knew this going into the commission, and could have avoided the whole sham trial. (In fact, Einstein advised him to do this, and Oppenheimer wouldn't listen. The lesson here: take Einstein's advice, Einstein). After losing his clearance, Oppenheimer still had his wealth, his family, the ability to travel the world, and a beach-side house in the Virgin Islands. I'm not exactly weeping for his post-revocation life. More important to my overall enjoyment of this book was the fact I never really felt connected. This is more of a personal, ephemeral observation, in the sense that I can't really explain it. Certain biographies (written by the likes of Caro, Massey, and Morris) have touched me profoundly, so that I feel a shiver of sadness as the subject reaches his final days. The best biographies can evoke a response startlingly close to empathy. Even the greatest of men or women can be dramatically humanized, brought to life, made relatable, so that you understand them as persons, rather than abstract movers of the levers of history. American Prometheus didn't provoke that response from me. That doesn't mean that this isn't a high-class biography, because it is. Most people would probably read this book and disagree with my assessment. Indeed, there is a bronzed circle on the cover of my book which informs me that the National Book Critics Circle thinks I'm an idiot.
Let’s do the numbers.599 pages of text256 books read for research44 articles and dissertations consulted41 manuscript collections pillaged10 government document collections accessed 1 Pulitzer Prize6 newspapers/magazines named it best book of the year19 quality blurbs41 listed abbreviations20 page-long index83 pages of notes 112 people interviewed (several more than once)2 authors25 years in the making38 days to read across 3 cities23 corners folded by this girl to mark something fascinatingTo describe this book as merely “well researched” would be an insult. It is an exhaustively thorough look at an important American figure…that I had never heard of when my dad gave this book to me as a Christmas gift several years ago. I had a vague notion that J. Robert Oppenheimer was in the newspaper business. Oppie (as I now refer to him) was a brilliant physicist and character, who headed the American development of the atomic bomb during WWII only to be stripped of his security clearance years later for petty political reasons. When I finished this book, I was all “Oppie said the cleverest thing about [insert topic]” and “Oppie would have loved this [documentary/book/color shirt].” I swear I was that annoying person who just achieved a (likely one-sided) friendship with someone much cooler and can’t shut up about it. What exactly can you expect to learn about MY NEW BESTIE in this book? (1) Speculation about whether Oppie was a closet CommunistThere are paragraphs, pages, and chapters playing the was-he-or-wasn’t-he game. What exactly did he learn at that wacko school as a youngster? Did he pay party dues? Why didn’t he report that conversation earlier? Why did he meet with that person on that day? The only person who really had the answer to the main question is Oppie, and he said “no.” Repeatedly. This speculation may sound boring (and it was at times), but it was integral to the story as it later brought down a man who had devoted his life to doing what he thought was best for this country.(2) Luminaries of the dayAs brilliant as Oppie was, he was also surrounded by brilliant people. After nearly every description of his physicist buddies, there was a note that “so-and-so went on to receive the Nobel Prize.” You will also learn about key political and military figures of the day. And for all these people, you will get more than just a rehashing of their image. You’ll get a quick glimpse of their personality, weakness, opinions, antics. This book breathes with characters. (3) A critical era of American historyThe authors evoked not just the people, but also stepped back and evoked the times – starting with the rush to develop the atomic bomb before the Germans (hurry, hurry, hurry!) and then the debate that followed Hiroshima (was that really necessary? what now? build another?). It was a dicey time for America and the world. I had learned some of this during my undergraduate, but this book bought it home for me. (4) Absolutely nothing about scienceIf you are curious regarding the specifics of how the bomb was built or the physics behind it, you will be sorely disappointed while I was greatly pleased.(5) His wife!I have become increasingly interested in the stories of the women behind important men: how they helped made their men great and even how they suffered for it. For example, I remember walking through a museum about Einstein a couple years ago and thinking his wife deserved a medal, bucket of tears, her own museum, something for the crap she put up with. And Oppie’s wife, Kitty was similarly intriguing. Here is a brief review of her, count ‘em, four marriages:Husband #1: Why you should read your spouse’s diaryWhen Kitty was “studying” aboard in Europe, she impulsively married a musician only to discover, when she snooped in his diary, that he was a gay drug addict. Strike one.Husband #2: Voluntary poverty followed by voluntary deathKitty bounced back quickly and married a handsome American activist. Although both came from well-to-do families, they chose to live in poverty to show their commitment to Communist ideals. Kitty eventually got fed up with lifestyle and walked away. The two were just starting to rekindle their love when he was killed fighting in the Spanish Civil War on the side of, you guessed it, the leftists.Husband #3: “This is Robert calling. Your wife is pregnant with my child.”Kitty’s next pick was an emotionally distant doctor. It was during this marriage that Kitty met Oppie and started some extramarital hanky-panky. When she discovered she was pregnant with Oppie’s child, Husband #3 and Oppie had a very civilized phone conversation where they decided it would be best if Kitty divorced one and married the other. I really wish the FBI had wire-tapped that call! What kind of husband can calmly discuss his wife’s infidelity with her lover? He must have been cold as a block of ice! Husband #4: Loved by Oppie, hated by everyone elseAfter all the duds, Oppie was “the one.” The general consensus was that Oppie’s wife was a rude, habitually tipsy, and mediocre housewife, as well as a cold mother. Her one redeeming quality was her fierce loyalty to Oppie and his career. Yet she seemed frustrated in his shadows having given up her burgeoning career in botany for his sake. My favorite quote about Kitty was that “she made small talk, but she really wanted to make big talk.” Whew! I don’t know about you, but Kitty wears me out. And since she is not likeable enough to be the subject of her own biography, I am glad these authors gave her such good coverage here. As many anecdotes that made me sympathize with her, there were just as many times when I wanted to reach back in time and shake her.That’s enough about Kitty.It’s not often that I have a picture of myself reading the book I’m reviewing. But today is your lucky day! In a scene that is probably familiar to GoodReaders, here I am reading my book off in a corner during a family get-together. [image error]
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I was extremely excited when I finally pulled this book off the self to read after literally years of it collecting dust. I am a social studies teacher with a background in the Cold War and was at the bookstore the day this book was released in order to add it to my collection. Unfortunately, this book was not what I expected. Although I sporadically enjoyed a few chapters or sections, most of the book felt a bit repetitive. When I first heard that I book would be written about J. Robert Oppenheimer, my mind immediately surmised that the bulk of it would have to do with the development of the atomic bomb and the aftermath of it's use. While this accounts for a portion of the book, I felt like American Prometheus spent far too much time talking about Oppenheimer's suspected communist ties. I realize that this is a crucial part to his story, but not something (i felt) that should be the focal point of much of the book. If some of those sections were shortened or consolidated, I think I would have rated this book higher than I did, but unfortunately I felt that they detracted from the overall quality of this read. If you have an interest in this historical figure, or in the time period, it's worth picking up - just be prepared to read a lot about the role of communism in Oppenheimer's life, more so than the atomic bomb.
—Nick DD
What a story! For those of my generation, the story is almost like reading our own history. For younger persons, it's a history that may shock them. Our near past is a complicated affair.Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin have pieced together details, including transcripts from the FBI and many other sources, in such a way that reading (or listening, in my case, to the audio version) this story is like reading a novel. If I were to have one complaint about the story, it would be that some details are repeated throughout the book. The authors both flash forward and flash back. But the story is of such length that the repetition, though annoying at times, helps to reinforce the story's flow. What did I learn? I learned that life is never as simple as I would like. I learned that even the best have flaws and that the worst are not figments of my imagination. Oppenheimer's story is one that probably has been repeated throughout the history of man, and it will be repeated again. It's just the way it is. The story fascinated and enthralled me. It's worth a second, and perhaps a third reading. The details are so many that one reading isn't enough to take it all in.
—Sue
This biography reads like a novel. It is the story of a man's life, but the man is a genius and the things that he did and the events he played such an important role in are so dramatic that it almost seems like fiction. However, I am convinced that it is not fiction. Oppenheimer directed the Manhattan project, which resulted in the development and deployment of the atomic bomb. The use of this weapon in war is scary because it raises the possibility that it will be used in another war. Everyone is a bit more sophisticated now in the nearly 70 years since Hiroshima was bombed. There are tours to the bomb site. Military people speak of tactical and strategic nuclear wars. The number of governments that have the capability of exploding a nuclear bomb increases with every passing decade. The doomsday clock seems frozen at five minutes to midnight. In the Greek myth of Prometheus that the title of the biography refers to, Prometheus is punished by the gods for daring to give Man fire. Oppenheimer was punished by the cancellation of his security clearance, but, we still have the atomic bomb. The modern gods of the military industrial complex revealed themselves just as petty and subject to human feelings and failings as the gods of the old myth with their punishment of Oppenheimer. In the rules of the theater, if you show a gun in the first act, you need to fire it before the end of the play. In the peculiar myths that western civilization is governed by, there is a strong need to use the bomb because we can. Is this bad, or is it just the way things are going to play out?Who knows? Speaking from my point of view, which is that of an old guy, I'm probably not going to be around to see the end of history. My hope is that I will go home at the intermission and enjoy a nightcap and write a few lines about what I remember of what it used to be like to be younger. I started to read the book because I wanted to learn about Oppenheimer's connection with New Mexico. A recent vacation in that great land of enchantment revealed marvels and a persistent drought. A look at the news in my motel room in the morning, showed that the big folks still have little spirits. Still, the weather was fantastic, and the distances we drove made me think that it might be possible to elude the wrath of the gods. After all, they really just want to debauch themselves up on Olympus. I hope that I don't get nailed by a stray thunderbolt.
—Mike Gowan
