maryrobinson's review against another edition
4.0
Superb recounting of the history of creating the atomic bomb at Los Alamos, the personalities behind it and the incredible effort that went into it. The story is mainly told through the eyes of Robert Oppenheimer’s secretary, Dorothy McKibben, who was a wonder woman to Oppenheimer’s genius. It’s written by the granddaughter of James Conant, who was involved in the Manhattan Project. Along the lines in quality and story-telling of Lauri Hillenbrand’s excellent Unbroken.
nkmeyers's review against another edition
4.0
This is history made human - I really appreciated that [a:Jennet Conant|309106|Jennet Conant|https://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-e0ba3b90c110cd67123d6a850d85373e.png] didn't end her storytelling with the Trinity Site Test or at Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
The reader learns the shape of the land that would become home to [a:Robert Oppenheimer|6317934|Robert Oppenheimer|https://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png]'s group as they raced to build the bomb. We come to know the story of many of the project's personalities, struggles, and achievements. What is exceptional about these stories is the way they weave together and include frank looks at the pre-war and post-war lives of those who one way or another found themselves caught up in the work of the Manhattan project.
I'd just finished reading [b:Einstein: His Life and Universe|10884|Einstein His Life and Universe|Walter Isaacson|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328011405s/10884.jpg|985244] before I read this, it was great preparation before delving into the lives of the physicists who would work in Los Alamos . It helped me to understand better the world people left before they walked through the door at 109 E Palace and the one they would inhabit afterward.
The reader learns the shape of the land that would become home to [a:Robert Oppenheimer|6317934|Robert Oppenheimer|https://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png]'s group as they raced to build the bomb. We come to know the story of many of the project's personalities, struggles, and achievements. What is exceptional about these stories is the way they weave together and include frank looks at the pre-war and post-war lives of those who one way or another found themselves caught up in the work of the Manhattan project.
I'd just finished reading [b:Einstein: His Life and Universe|10884|Einstein His Life and Universe|Walter Isaacson|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328011405s/10884.jpg|985244] before I read this, it was great preparation before delving into the lives of the physicists who would work in Los Alamos . It helped me to understand better the world people left before they walked through the door at 109 E Palace and the one they would inhabit afterward.
benjfitz's review
4.0
As the first order of business I'd like to give this novel 4.5 stars. With that finished we can move on to the more interesting bits. For having grown up in Los Alamos and working at the national lab for 5 summers I know shockingly little about the town's war years. In fact, this was my first foray into reading a book detailing the Manhattan Project. I will try to keep the nostalgic influence for my childhood home to a minimum. My initial realization during the first hundred pages was how well Conant described the balance between the work all of the scientists did and the strain they felt as people (mostly from their horrific living conditions). Similarly, Conant captured the tension in their lives due to the secretive nature of their work, which meant husbands and wifes could not discuss anything freely. Another facet of the scientists' humanity that was fascinating stemmed from the tension between the military and Oppenheimer, with my favorite scene being when Oppenheimer wore an indian headdress after Groves told him his normal hat was too conspicuous. One strange point to me was how many of the scientists were theoreticians. This made me wonder about the untold stories of the scientists who truly designed and built the bombs. In short, Conant's descriptions covered both the scientific and human aspects of these extraordinary people, and, as a scientist, I have often seen how hard it is to convey both adequately.
audreylee's review
5.0
For many Americans, the movie "The Day After" comprises all of our knowledge about the atomic bomb. This book details the selection of a rather unexpected scientist to be Director of the Los Alamos Project, the establishment of the site, and the ongoing work and security involved to keep it secret from the rest of the world. It is also an acknowledgement of the loyalty and determination of Dorothy McKibbin who managed to make the scientists marooned at Los Alamos fell more at home while protecting their secrets. She deserves her own book!
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