Incredibly detailed account of  early nuclear physics and the road to making the bomb.

Dry and with more of the science than I expected, I found this book fascinating and gripping. The first half of the book traces the 20th century history of nuclear science into the second world war and the key scientists themselves. The second half is the recognition of the bomb as a possibility leading into the production and use of nuclear weaponry, with more focus on the politics and administration of the Manhattan Project.  

Trigger warning for the use of many quotes using slurs for the Japanese, presented without warning or comment. The book also contains fairly gruesome accounts of the aftermath of both the nuclear bombs and firebombings. 

There are some truly bad sentences in here and I don’t mind saying so. Unfortunately, the last sentence of the entire book is one of these poopers. 

Overall a good book for bedtime reading as it just goes on and on and on and on and on about interpersonal relationships between white men in the 1930s.  Snooze fest, really. Until you get to the 14 pages of bomb victim first hand accounts which is out of place tonally and completely horrifying, but a necessary addition. At that point it became a daytime book. 

I went through the whole thing desperate for illustrations and photos. There are some at the very end but that’s a bad place and they aren’t useful physics diagrams. 

I don’t regret reading, but I would not recommend to anyone afraid of fat books. This made me want to read more about the other labs and manufacturing developments as well as the fanboy attitude  people have around Oppenheimer which is taken as gospel in all the Los Alamos books I read but never really explained. 

Edit to add: This book sure does try to cover a lot of ground. As such there are gaps in the science and the politics throughout, leaving you with many questions. Maybe this should have been a series of books. I didn’t realize this won a Pulitzer and I’m concerned others are calling this the most comprehensive history because I have questions.