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Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin

21 reviews

grace_b_3's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

Like many others, I picked this up because of the Oppenheimer movie, which I quite liked. Obviously, the book is different from the movie, but I found both worth the time I put into them. 
This is a really well-done biography; I totally understand why this received the Pulitzer. There is so much material to pull from when it comes to Oppenheimer’s life, as there are reams of government papers on him. The authors also conducted extensive interviews with those who knew him. 
The picture of Oppenheimer that emerges is that of a complicated man. While he himself is interesting, I also enjoyed learning more about US history through the lens of his life—especially in regards to US atomic policy. Overall, this was an excellent read if you are in the mood for something dense and thought-provoking. 
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abicaro17's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

This book is incredibly slow and reads like a textbook but I think it's important to read. It brings an insight I don't think is readily taught about the Cold War and atomic energy dealings after the Trinity test. I would be the first to say i'm not normally interested in biographies but this account is so interesting and insightful it counteracts that. If readers can get past the slow and methodical accounts then they'll be pleasantly surprised by how invigorating the whole story is. (Also for those who saw Oppenheimer and are wondering if this is as entertaining: it's better!) 
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caidyn's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

4.25

An excellent, well researched book. I've never read up on Oppenheimer before, but this is the book to do it. It's comprehensive and rather unbiased in its look at him.
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sylvestra's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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twinadam's review against another edition

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informative reflective tense slow-paced

4.0

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parkersicle's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

3.75

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jodielk93's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

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megb64's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced

3.5

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aileron's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

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himpersonal's review against another edition

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informative sad medium-paced

5.0

Read about a quarter of it when I watched the movie. Thought both were excellent. But it’s hard to separate the two in my mind now. So I can only say this was really good. Worth every page.
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