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American Prometheus
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer | Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin
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. In this magisterial, acclaimed biography twenty-five years in the making, Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin capture Oppenheimers life and times, from his early career to his central role in the Cold War. This is biography and history at its finest, riveting and deeply informative. From the Trade Paperback edition.
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AvidReader25
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Pickpick

I finished this just in time for the Oscars. It‘s the basis of the best picture winner “Oppenheimer” & I loved seeing the way the book was adapted to become a film. This is a long in-depth biography, but he was a complicated man. It was also a perfect nonfiction read for New Mexico. The authors did an excellent job diving into the history of the making of the atomic bomb and Oppenheimer‘s role in the saga. I wouldn‘t read it again but it was good.

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perfectsinner
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Two non fiction books back-to-back? Guess I'm in that kind of mood.
Anyway, I'm gonna start this tonight. I saw the film and thought it was great. I hope the book is good, I've seen some reviews saying it's a bit dry.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks My husband is reading this. We also saw the movie! 2mo
perfectsinner I loved the movie and I actually love physics. I don't understand it, but I've been obsessed with astrophysics, quantum mechanics, theoretical physics, etc. For several yrs now. I watch a lot of science YouTube, lol. I'm only 9% in, but so far not finding it to be a dry read at all 2mo
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JackOBotts
Bailedbailed

I really want to enjoy reading this, but it‘s too dry for my taste. So I‘m doing the grown up thing and walking away. (I did see Oppenheimer, so I guess I kinda know what‘s up…)

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Addison_Reads
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I have to admit that I probably wouldn't have read this if I hadn't liked the movie so much. Oppenheimer was such a complex intriguing person that I just needed to learn more about him. The authors did an excellent job with this book and the research and details presented made this a truly fascinating read.

Highly recommend if this is a subject/person you're interested in learning more about.

Amiable My husband read this book last year before he even knew about the movie. He enjoyed it, too. 8mo
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vivastory
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I saw Oppenheimer earlier today and was thoroughly impressed. Best movie released this year that I've seen so far, beating out my favorite: Evil Dead Rise. I do intend to eventually watch Barbie (I 💙 Gerwig & Margot Robbie) & I also want to see Talk to Me.

BarbaraBB I was impressed by Oppenheimer too. 9mo
vivastory @BarbaraBB I think it's Nolan's best movie in awhile. What a great cast! 9mo
BarbaraBB The cast was incredible indeed. 9mo
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batsy I was let down by Barbie (probably the only person to say this), though the stand-out performance for me was by Gosling. I need to watch Oppenheimer and Talk to Me! 9mo
TheLudicReader You are correct about Gosling stealing every scene he was in, @batsy. 🤣 9mo
batsy @TheLudicReader I'm not sure how he nailed the character of Ken so well, what with Ken being a total blank 😂 9mo
vivastory @batsy Thanks for the input on Barbie. I was looking forward to it but it wasn't one of my most anticipated movies of the year. Will temper expectations & yes, love Ryan Gosling. I will be curious to see what you think of Oppenheimer. It's definitely Nolan's most succesfully adventurous movie in awhile I think 9mo
vivastory @batsy Also, very curious on your thoughts if you see Talk to Me. It's apparently terrifying 😱 9mo
batsy @vivastory I'm so keen to go but have no one to go with! I'm usually someone who will go to a movie alone if I can't find someone to coordinate with (I love watching films alone, I have to say!) but I think I need company for Talk to Me 😅 And so excited about Oppenheimer; looking forward to it. 9mo
quietlycuriouskate Oooh, hoping to see it next week (and also a little apprehensive as I suspect it will need recovering from afterwards)! 9mo
Addison_Reads So glad you liked this one. I watched it recently and thought it was brilliant. On a side note, I also watched the new TMNT movie last night and thought it was great nostalgic fun. 9mo
TheBookWorm29 Skip Talk to Me. Cool concept but a dreadful protagonist. 9mo
Suet624 Did you end up seeing Barbie? 5mo
vivastory @Suet624 I never saw it. I did see Napoleon. Not a favorite of the year, but interesting. Killers of the Flower Moon really impressed me. 5mo
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JoeMo
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This is an exhaustive exploration of Oppenheimer‘s life. This is truly one of the most impressive biographies that I‘ve ever read. To me it was engrossing to learn so much about the cultural and historical shift in America from when it was once acceptable and somewhat trendy to be a communist or someone with those political leanings to then face the Red Scare which gripped America and ruined the lives and careers of many.

#bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 9mo
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fredthemoose
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I knew next to nothing about Oppenheimer until hearing the movie was at least partly based on this book and deciding to give it a go before heading to the theater. Well researched, interesting story of a complicated, brilliant man. Many things came easily to/for him, and then many others were difficult or unfairly taken. The audio quality was not great, and some topic transitions were unexpectedly quick, but a definite pick.

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MallenNC
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What is there to do on a very hot day other than watch a three-hour movie? I wasn‘t sure my attention span would make it but the movie was so good. Especially the end scene. I didn‘t know much about Oppenheimer before this so I may have to read this book. Maybe I‘ll catch Barbie next week!

currentlyreadinginCO Can confirm that barbie was great! 9mo
MallenNC @currentlyreadinginCO I really want to see it! A friend of mine wants to see it with me and she was out of town this weekend. I‘m trying to be patient. 9mo
mom2bugnbee Barbie was AMAZING & much more emotional than I expected! Going to see Oppenheimer on Tuesday! 9mo
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MallenNC @mom2bugnbee That‘s so good to hear. I am definitely seeing Barbie ASAP. Let me know what you think of Oppenheimer! It‘s a totally different experience I‘m sure. 9mo
RosePressedPages I was laughing so hard during Barbie! Both movies are worth the hype 9mo
Amiable My husband read this book last year and said it was very good. 9mo
MallenNC @Amiable Oh good. I like nonfiction a lot so I will probably give it a try. 9mo
Graciouswarriorprincess I saw Barbie on Saturday and am seeing this movie on Tuesday night. 9mo
MallenNC @Graciouswarriorprincess It‘s long! But I made it through the whole movie. 9mo
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Ericalambbrown
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Pickpick

I read this when it originally came out 20-ish years ago, but I wanted to revisit it with the Christopher Nolan film coming out next month. It‘s a really good biography of Oppenheimer. It‘s also a good accounting of both the Manhattan Project and his troubles when McCarthyism gripped our country. It will really interesting to see how the film goes.

Bookboss Fabulous book! 10mo
Ericalambbrown @Bookboss it really is! 10mo
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Ericalambbrown
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“In the first decade of the 20th century, science initiated a second American revolution.”

#FirstLineFridays. @ShyBookOwl

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Hamlet
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Pickpick

I heard that C. Nolan‘s movie “Oppenheimer” was largely based on this book, so I had to read it first. It‘s a thorough biography. I had hoped for more on the science of the Manhattan Project, but I find I must seek out another book for that. Oppenheimer is a compelling personality and a fascinating polymath in addition to his genius for physics. I found the incessant talk of FBI & Army worry about communists wearying, as Oppie himself must have.

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RowReads1
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Sad looking Albert Einstein. New preview dropped. Partly filmed on campus. https://youtu.be/uYPbbksJxIg

Bookwomble I love how in this picture Tom Conti looks just like Albert Einstein whilst simultaneously looking just like Tom Conti 😄 12mo
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mrroysanchez
Pickpick

Oppenheimer is someone I had heard of but never learned much about. This was a mistake. He should be held up as the exemplar of science and philosophy. This biography details every facet of his existence, and its argument for how Oppie was wronged by the gov‘t reminds its readers that intellectualism and academia is always at risk.

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MGrace15
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This Pulitzer prize winning (B) book about J. Robert Oppenheimer talks about him as well as his work on creating the bombs that were used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was really cool to read about and almost takes you into the past. This biography would be ideal for IR as the students can use it for book reports or science projects. UDL 6.3 Facilitate meaningful information and resources.
#LAE3414SP19

MGrace15 EL Strategy 20 List the most important words or phrases you plan to use in a presentation on a transparency or on the chalkboard. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/21/books/the-physics-philosophy-and-literally-di... takes you to an article posted on the book from NY Times. 5y
DrSpalding Discipline specific vocabulary is so important. So cool that you included a New York Times article as a resource. Good for you. 5y
CatMS Wonderful book on Oppenheimer. Looking forward to the movie with Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer. 11mo
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Pedrocamacho
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This book is a very thorough recapitulation of the life Robert Oppenheimer. It reads like a whirlwind. The almost infinite shades of grey that constituted Oppenheimer‘s life make for compelling reading. I read “The Making of the Atomic Bomb” last year and “American Prometheus” is a great companion read.

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AEBowenPhD
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Pickpick

Rise and #resist! Before the day gets away from you, call or write your reps about the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, and IMLS. I wrote about just a few of the programs I'll miss if these agencies go away. http://bookriot.com/2017/03/18/what-book-lovers-lose-if-we-lose-the-nea-and-neh/

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Skyler
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After being apart for a couple of days because of an overnight field trip this weekend, Monty and I are reunited and ready for a cozy Sunday. #teacherlife #teachersoflitsy

slhbooks I bet your puppy is happy to have you home💙💙💙 7y
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Skyler
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View from where I do a lot of reading, my desk at home. #whereiread #riotgrams

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Skyler
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Sometimes when I look at my books I think about when I was a kid and how when I'd dream of my adult life, I'd always imagine a house full of books. I think my kid self would be pleased with how things have turned out. #shelfie #riotgrams

Mdargusch Yes! You have a great collection. 📚📚📚 7y
Skyler @Mdargusch Thanks! 😀 7y
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Skyler
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So enjoying this right now even though I've had hardly any time to read this week due to work/life craziness.
Fun Oppie fact: One time in grad school he gave his professor a poisoned apple! The prof luckily didn't eat it, but if it weren't for his father's efforts to smooth things over with the school, Oppenheimer would have been booted from the university, which might have damaged, possibly even finished, his academic career. ☠🍎☠🍎

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tkingsanchez
Pickpick

Bird's coverage of Oppenheimer is sweeping and epic. A tragic hero and his rise and fall to greatness. One of my all-time favorite books.

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