American Prometheus
by Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin · first published 2005
53% recommend47% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Detailed, well-researched Pulitzer-winning biography of Oppenheimer that shows his life, the Manhattan Project's politics and the postwar fallout; pairs well with Rhodes' book on the bomb.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Biography of American physicist Robert J. Oppenheimer. Winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography.
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I also highly recommend reading the book, American Prometheus. http://www.amazon.com/American-Prometheus-Triumph-Tragedy-Op...
on “NSA revelations could hurt collaboration with 'betrayed' hackers” ↗I didn't truly respect and understand Feynman until I read American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer And it really shows how important Mr. Feynman was to not only making the first computerized filing system for the manhattan project, but also in solving…
on “Richard Feynman: Cargo Cult Science (1974)” ↗…question of how to safeguard nuclear weapons and what their political/military/diplomatic purpose is. But it does wrap up the J. Robert Oppenheimer story. Once one has read these two, I strongly recommend "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer" [2] by Bird and Sherwin. Also extremely well written. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Sun-Making-Hydrogen-Bomb/dp/0684... [2] https://www.amazon.com/American-Prometheus-Triumph-Tragedy-O...
on “The dubious distinction, and literary legacy, of Leo Szilard” ↗American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin. - Captivating and well researched. This book not only captures the life of a genius, but also exposes the politics and…
on “Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?” ↗…Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes Made me re-think a lot of things about food. Despite the "pop-science" title, this is a well researched book that looks at countless studies from the past 150 years. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheier by Martin Sherwin and Kai Bird A biography of Robert Oppenheimer. Fascinating man. The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker A must read. Evolutionary psychology.
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗One of my favourite books, too. Tangentially, I highly recommend "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer" by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. It delves a lot more deeply into the life Oppenheimer than Rhodes was able to, for obvious reasons. Beautifully written,…
on “A Chunk of Trinitite Reminds Us of the Power of the Atomic Bomb” ↗A second vote for "American Prometheus" by Kai Bird! Great follow-on read for "Making of the Atomic Bomb". I read them back-to-back, and it really makes you wonder whether we'll ever have another historical era of as much interest as WWII.
on “The Eccentric Father of the Atomic Bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (2019)” ↗…writing and you get this book. I love Kimmerer’s voice (both in terms of her writing and her performance of the audiobook) and I read Gathering Moss by her this year as well because she’s just that good. - American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. In my opinion is the definitive book about the atomic bomb and Oppenheimer. I also read The Dead Hand by David E. Hoffman and I think that was a pretty good follow up…
on “Good Books for a Lousy Year” ↗…writing and you get this book. I love Kimmerer’s voice (both in terms of her writing and her performance of the audiobook) and I read Gathering Moss by her this year as well because she’s just that good. - American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. In my opinion is the definitive book about the atomic bomb and Oppenheimer. I also read The Dead Hand by David E. Hoffman and I think that was a pretty good follow up…
on “I'll pay you to read my book (2013)” ↗…"Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb", is also great, though there's a bit less science innit; much of it is about what happened to Oppenheimer after the Manhattan Project. As a companion book, "American Prometheus", by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, is a superb biograph of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
on “New evidence shows this uranium cube is likely relic of Nazi A-bomb program” ↗…However, as I now read it, I'm surprised by how much western culture references it. People use examples, names and scenes from the bible much more often than I realised and it helps to recognize that. American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Oppenheimer was an ok movie, the book it's based on is better paced. A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit. This is the first book I encountered on disaster sociology.…
on “Ask HN: What are you reading these days?” ↗American Prometheus revealed the most compelling reason for using both bombs I’ve seen to date: Truman had extracted a promise from Stalin that the Soviet Union would declare war on Japan by August 15—an event that he…
on “A reporter's journey into how the U.S. funded the bomb” ↗…of the theatrical versions. Reminiscent of the Matrix sequels, the Childlike Empress threatens to crash Fantastica with a stack overflow (via infinite recursion) to force Bastian to give her a name. American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin goes into much more detail than the film (Oppenheimer).
on “Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?” ↗American Prometheus, by Kai Bird and Marin J. Sherwin It is based on ~20 years of research about Robert Oppenheimer, and is the inspiration for the movie Oppenheimer. Robert Oppenheimer is the scientist who lead the development…
on “Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things” ↗…chains. 13. The Prize by Daniel Yergin - Oil industry evolution. 14. Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson - Ambitious wreck divers. 15. The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes - Manhattan Project. 16. American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin - Robert Oppenheimer. 17. Conquistador by Buddy Levy - Hernán Cortés and the Aztecs. 18. Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner - Water infrastructure in the American West.…
on “Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things” ↗