Oppenheimer
Portrait of an Enigma
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The Academy Award winning motion picture Oppenheimer introduced the legendary nuclear physicist to a new generation. Oppenheimer was a puzzle to everyone. The nuclear physicist most responsible for the creation of the atomic bomb, he was a genius both scientifically and otherwise. His standards were impossibly high. He read widely in many languages, wrote poetry, and did superb science. Yet in Jeremy Bernstein's intensely interesting biographical memoir, Oppenheimer emerges as a man unsure of his identity and captive to an element of self-destructiveness in his makeup. As a former colleague of Oppenheimer's, Bernstein has composed a book that is both personal and historical, bringing the reader close to the life and workings of an extraordinary and controversial man. Filled with revealing insights and details that set the historical record straight, Oppenheimer is that rare quantity: a vastly entertaining study of one of the most important and enigmatic scientists of the atomic age.
About this Author
Theoretical physicist and a writer on popular science, Jeremy Bernstein is a former staff writer for the New Yorker, contributor to The Atlantic Monthly, New York Review of Books, and Scientific American, among others, and author of numerous books.
Reviews
What makes this little book worthwhile is its personal view of the conflicted genius. A fine introduction to an ever-fascinating man.
Bernstein, himself a theoretical physicist, has profiled scientists for The New Yorker for nearly three decades.... His memoir, which elucidates difficult scientific problems in the clearest English, is a must-read for anyone interested in the power of science and the state.
It brims with new stories and scientific explanations, making it an ideal layman's introduction to this elusive and conflicted 20th-century giant.
Jeremy Bernstein, combining the grace of a New Yorker writer with the insight of a theoretical physicist, draws a fine and fascinating portrait of the man who gave us the atomic bomb.
Having had the advantage of shrewdly observing Oppenheimer at close range, Jeremy Bernstein combines in this gripping biography his expertise in physics and history of science with his talent as a master storyteller.
Jeremy Bernstein has written an engrossing portrait of the life and contributions of J. Robert Oppenheimer--providing keen insights into his complex personality and, in clear language, his impressive contributions to physics and to the development of the atomic bomb.
Fascinating...a splendid addition.... It reads exceedingly well from beginning to end. I was particularly impressed with his analysis of Oppenheimer's security hearing.... Every part of the book contains new and fascinating insights into Oppenheimer's life and work and the people with whom he was associated.
A revealing, involving, highly recommended biographical survey.
His memoir, which elucudates difficult scientific problems is in the clearest English, is a must-read for anyone interested in the power of science and the state.
Oppenheimer: A Portrait of an Enigma is full of amusing and enlightening anecdotes and asides that illuminate both Oppenheimer's personality and the milieu in which he lived. If the book has a moral, it is that even a genius can be too clever.
Bernstein's engaging and revealing profile is a reminder of the events that so colored and charged Opeenheimer's life.
Berstein has written a book that manages to be both insightful and maddening.
Both personal and historical.
Bernstein sets forth the fascinating story of Oppenheimer's controversial life successfully and smoothly. Highly readable.
If anyone can shed light on the enigma that is Robert Oppenheimer it is Jeremy Bernstein.... A superb piece of work... essential reading.
Jeremy Bernstein is as good a writer as you can find among scientists.... A splendid, brief biography...a page turner.
It is a good introduction to Oppenheimer for neophytes and a nostalgic read for those familiar with his life.
Berstein...knew Oppenheimer, knows physics, and writes with verve and wit.... His book sparkles...
Bernstein does a convincing job of discovering the oddball nature of this nuclear genius.
This one is essential.
An excellent introduction.
This portrait of the enigmatic physicist...includes several interesting anecdotes that are not well known.
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