''American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer'' is a

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

J. Robert Oppenheimer J. Robert Oppenheimer (; April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist. A professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, Oppenheimer was the wartime head of the Los Alamos Laboratory and is oft ...

by Kai Bird and

Martin J. Sherwin Martin Jay Sherwin (July 2, 1937October 6, 2021) was an American historian. His scholarship mostly concerned the history of nuclear weapons and nuclear proliferation. He served on the faculty at Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvan ...

. Twenty-five years in the making, the book was published in 2005 and was awarded the 2006

Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography The Pulitzer Prize for Biography is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It has been presented since 1917 for a distinguished biography, autobiography or memoir by an American author o ...

. It also won the 2008

Duff Cooper Prize The Duff Cooper Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of history, biography, political science or occasionally poetry, published in English or French. The prize was established in honour of Duff Cooper, a British diplomat, Ca ...

, ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' Best Book of the Year, and ''

Discover Magazine ''Discover'' is an American general audience science magazine launched in October 1980 by Time Inc. It has been owned by Kalmbach Publishing since 2010. History Founding ''Discover'' was created primarily through the efforts of ''Time'' m ...

'' Best Science Book of the Year.

Background

The book was compiled and researched for two decades by

before Kai Bird was brought on to put it together in a cohesive and readable format regarding the life and impact of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The book's title refers to the legend of

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning " forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titan god of fire. Prometheus is best known for defying the gods by stealing fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, kn ...

, as mentioned in ''

Scientific Monthly ''The Scientific Monthly'' was a science magazine published from 1915 to 1957. Psychologist James McKeen Cattell, the former publisher and editor of ''The Popular Science Monthly'', was the original founder and editor. In 1958, ''The Scientific Mon ...

'' in September 1945:

Summary

J. Robert Oppenheimer, often credited as the "father of the atomic bomb", was a physicist that had a significant role in the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

as the project head and coordinator. The project eventually led to the creation of the nuclear atom bomb, a

weapon of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to numerous individuals or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natu ...

. This bomb is regarded as a crucial turning point and a significant meeting between science and wartime weapons. This pivots Oppenheimer as not only an important historical figure but also as a symbol for atomic bomb ethics and political discourse about nuclear power. This book dives into various components of his life inside and outside the Manhattan Project. His early life, ambitions, ideas, relationships with other physicists, and impact are all discussed in this book.

Symbolic comparison

Oppenheimer had voiced that he did not regret the overall making of the bomb, as Germany's nuclear ambitions during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

had many countries concerned about the future actions of the country. There had been a much more pressing concern of Nazi Germany completing the German Nuclear Weapons Program before any of the other powers during the Second World War that the United States did not wish to risk. Oppenheimer had certain known qualms about the

Atom Bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

and the potential future usages of the bomb that could lead millions of people to their deaths. He and other scientists had voiced their concern and disagreement of the usage of the bomb in Nagasaki, Japan, finding that it had been a needless choice.

, the Greek mythology titan god of fire, is famously known as a figure symbolizing eternal repentance for stealing fire from Zeus to give to mankind. The titan had done so in order to save this wave of mankind that had already collapsed twice before due to war and famine. This book uses this comparison to elicit the weight of the nuclear weapon that Oppenheimer carried for the rest of his life.

Release

The May 2006 paperback edition consists of 721 pages, along with 32 pages of photographs. The first edition also has 721 pages.

Film adaptation

The book is set to be adapted into the 2023

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

'' Oppenheimer'', by filmmaker

Christopher Nolan Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. His films have grossed $5&nb ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Presentation by Bird and Sherwin on ''American Prometheus'', September 30, 2006

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...

American biographies 2005 non-fiction books Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography-winning works Alfred A. Knopf books J. Robert Oppenheimer Books about the Manhattan Project