Leader: Andra Petrean
Book: American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Author: Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin
Description: 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.
Information from the Group Leader: The book is a biography of Robert Oppenheimer, and it follows him from his childhood, through the war years, and to the McCarthy era. It can be approached from a scientist’s point of view, from a political scientist’s point of view, or from a historian’s point of view. The book is not written for scientists and hence is accessible to readers with various backgrounds. The only drawback – it is 721 pages.