Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • American Prometheus

  • The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
  • By: Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin
  • Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
  • Length: 26 hrs and 30 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (362 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

American Prometheus

By: Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin
Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £25.99

Buy Now for £25.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • 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.

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
OPPENHEIMER

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.

When he proposed international controls over atomic materials, opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb, and criticized plans for a nuclear war, his ideas were anathema to powerful advocates of a massive nuclear buildup during the anti-Communist hysteria of the early 1950s. They declared that Oppenheimer could not be trusted with America’s nuclear secrets.

In this magisterial biography twenty-five years in the making, which won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for biography, the authors capture Oppenheimer’s life and times, from his early career to his central role in the Cold War.

©2005 Kai Bird; 2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Last Man Who Knew Everything cover art
American Ulysses cover art
The Liar cover art
Atomic Spy cover art
Hiroshima cover art
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich cover art
The Beast in the Jungle cover art
Doom Guy cover art
Weekend Warriors cover art
Islam and the Future of Tolerance cover art
In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat cover art
The President's Man cover art
The Trials of Harry S. Truman cover art
The Inconvenient Journalist cover art
Operation Paperclip cover art
Bomb cover art

Critic reviews

Pulitzer Prize Winner, Biography, 2006

"The definitive biography....Oppenheimer's life doesn't influence us. It haunts us." (Newsweek)
"[A] profoundly fascinating, richly complex, and ineffably sad American life....Bird and Sherwin are without peer...in capturing the humanity of the man." (Booklist)
"A work of voluminous scholarship and lucid insight, unifying its multifaceted portrait with a keen grasp of Oppenheimer's essential nature....It succeeds in deeply fathoming his most damaging, self-contradictory behavior." (New York Times)

What listeners say about American Prometheus

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    291
  • 4 Stars
    53
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    219
  • 4 Stars
    57
  • 3 Stars
    29
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    270
  • 4 Stars
    35
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent !!

I saw the film first and decided to give it a go. It’s a long one nut worth the investment . Highly recommend 👍

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A humanising Insight

It is difficult to truly understand someone. This book makes a dam good stab at it.

Whilst aspects are tragic, the story of Robert J Oppenheimer should be celebrated for his commitment to science and human thinking.

He seems ambiguous at times but context defines the nuonces.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb

If you have watched the movie, this book is a perfect complement! Shedding light on key events.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating

This is a fascinating review of Oppenheimer's life and relationships. It portrays the significant burden that Oppenheimer carried throughout his adult life during the development of the nuclear weapon and afterwards. The book explores the complexities of the geopolitical landscape during this period. I found this book profoundly informative about world politics and events at the time, as well as providing insight into the tragic lives that the Oppenheimer family had to endure as a consequence.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Definitive biography but poor production

Very detailed bio. But the audio, recorded back in 2007, is pretty ropey with varying sound volume and obvious edits.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent audio book

Decided to listen after watching the film adaptation and it made me realise how true to the book Christopher Nolan was. The book managed to help pad out the story even more. Really enjoyed listening. A life full of contradictions and compromise.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very interesting and well written

Obviously as many other came from the film to the boo and was not disappointed the world and life of J Robert Oppenheimer deserved a well written account of this life. The background of his family and young age were particularly interesting to me

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible, inimitable life of a unique soul , embodied in mortal vests

Outstanding and monumental work , derailed and never boating . Biography is a tricky genre , the authors put in words a complex and unrepeatable story catching inner and intimate aspects drawing a complete picture of the soul and the man , as well as the facts

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A fascinating character, compellingly unpacked

This is a long and detailed investigation into the life of a complex man. There were moments when I felt the author was drifting towards hagiography, but in the end it turns out to be a deftly balanced and nuanced take on one of the key players of the 20th century. My only (fairly small, but nonetheless niggling) beef is with the audio production. Jeff Cummings has a great voice and delivers the text fast and skilfully. But annoyingly, there are many, many occasions on which he has clearly had to do a retake, I suspect for mispronunciation of complicated German & other names. (Who’d have thought, for example, that a leading character called Lewis Strauss actually pronounced his name ‘Straws’?!?) The retakes sound as if they’ve been recorded on someone’s phone at a much later date, and then dropped in without enough care or attention to sound quality. Sometimes this even happens mid-sentence! When you’re deep inside the compelling narrative, it’s very annoying to suddenly have the audio quality change from a proper studio to someone’s toilet. Is it only me? Am I being too demanding? Perhaps, but it shouldn’t be impossible to have someone from the publishing company (even the author?) to sit with the narrator during the recording sessions so these daft errors can be avoided. Hey ho…. Otherwise, it’s great. Enjoy it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A fascinating text destroyed by shoddy production.

Either the publisher didn't listen to the finished recording or they did, and don't care about the listeners or being associated with such utter trash.

For the love of Christ, and out of respect for the authors, who have done an amazing job and who I'd imagine are rightly furious with this second rate presentation, spend whatever it takes to get it properly re-recorded and edited by someone with ears. I want my money back.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful