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American Prometheus
- The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
- Length: 26 hrs and 30 mins
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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.
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- Jo
- 07-08-2023
Insightful and intriguing
Great time enjoying a deeper insight into Oppenheimer and his life. Watched the film halfway through this book, and it was nice to see the adaptation being as faithful in areas as possible. An informative audio book on a very important scientist and historical moment in the 20th century.
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- Andrew
- 20-03-2024
Fascinating read/listen
Very thorough and mostly even-handed. The author’s disgust with Strauss, Oppenheimer’s foe, is palpable at every mention. A fascinating listen.
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- Gav
- 07-08-2023
brilliant story
Absolutely loved this story, It was truly the triumph and tragedy of Oppenheimer. Great narration.
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- Anonymous User
- 03-11-2023
Loved it!
Decided to listen to this after I watched the movie. I'm a big fan.
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- Stephen
- 13-02-2024
Fascinating story, poor production
This exhaustive exploration of the life of "Oppy" is consistently interesting, including the great rivalries with Lewis Strauss and lesserly Edward Teller that contributed to his fall, and the role of FBI and McCarthyist communist phobia.
The narration though is very inconsistent. Sudden changes in tone and quality, poor pronunciation, and very uneven forays into foreign accents for some characters. Really jerked me out of the story on numerous occasions. At times I wondered if there were two people reading it, often when there were names of physicists or others.
If you want the back story to the movie this is definitely the book for you.
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- Krishvi
- 25-05-2023
Very good book and excellent reading
The book is well written and well read by Jeff. I enjoyed it very much.
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- Rob 2037
- 31-07-2023
Great story - horrible production
If this was a printed book. It would be as if the editor had made changes which were printed in the font Comic Sans, rather than the font of the rest of the book. The production values are horrible. It seems as if the narrator made required changes in a different environment, and with no post production.
This is very annoying as the content of the book is fabulous. It's just that the audio implementation ruins, the effect. For a book which is the heart of the source for a major motion picture this year, I would have expected Amazon to spend a few dollars on production.
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- Anonymous User
- 01-08-2023
Badly read
The high reedy voice of the narrator and his constant mispronunciations of basic English words make listening a bit of a trial. It’s as if the reader is constantly surprised by what he is reading.
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- Anonymous User
- 16-02-2024
Amazing story, learnt so much
Overall, very good and worth seeing through what to me is a very long book. Some areas early in the book could have been condensed with no detriment to the book. But I learned so much, I knew I didn’t know much about this part of history or Oppenheimer, but I knew nothing! I liked that the book spun an overall positive view of him but recognised his flaws. The book taught so much more than just a persons life but also the political and social factors of the time. Highly recommend
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- Doug Grubert
- 07-03-2024
Highly comprehensive
A massive investment of time, nonetheless it was time well spent. An incredibly thorough and thoughtful dive into an astonishing lige.
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