Oppenheimer: A World Destroyed

by David Boyle

"Tells the story of the rise and fall of Oppenheimer, which crucially includes the part that Lewis Strauss and Edward Teller played in his tragic life. A page-turning, enlightening read." Saul David, author of Crucible of War.

16 July 1945.

The very first nuclear explosion in history takes place in the American desert in New Mexico. It is the culmination of the biggest and most expensive military project of any of the warring powers, and it attracted scientists from all over the world.

Nobody who saw it ever forgot the moment. “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds,” said Robert Oppenheimer, after having seen the incredibly bright light and felt the heat from the explosion from 10,000 yards away.

‘Oppie’ had been plucked from relative obscurity, at the age of only 38, to take charge of the top-secret Los Alamos laboratory, where the main thinking behind the invention of the A-bomb took place.

There, he had led a team of scientists from all over Europe and the Americas, desperately working against the clock to develop the Bomb before Hitler did. Those who remained when Hitler was dead – including Oppie – felt huge guilt that it had been used against Hiroshima and Nagasaki without any warning.

After the war, Oppenheimer faced a campaign against him led by Lewis Strauss, the chair of the Atomic Energy Commission. Strauss conceived a great animus against Oppie, which continued throughout his life. He forced Oppenheimer to take part in a hearing lasting three weeks, to answer charges that he was a communist and Soviet spy - and which removed his security status and virtually exiled him in his own country.

Among those who gave evidence against him was his former friend Edward Teller, the father of the H-bomb. His evidence set scientist against scientist, and helped ratchet up a global arms race.

After 1945, Oppenheimer had become a well-known figure around Washington. pressing for openness about the weapon he had created – desperately trying to avoid the nuclear arms race he believed would destroy civilisation.

But these were seriously dark days in the USA. Joe McCarthy was at the height of his power – and anyone who stepped out of line was suspect. As Oppenheimer discovered to his cost...

David Boyle is a British author and journalist who writes mainly about history and new ideas in economics, money, business and culture. He lives in Crystal Palace, London. His books include ‘Unheard Warfare in the Dardanelles’, ‘Towards the Setting The Race for America’ and ‘The Age to Come’. He is also the author of the Caractacus series and the Geniuses series.

Praise for David
‘Exhilarating.’ Daily Mail.

‘The struggle against oppression had me rooting for Caractacus.’ Alistair Forrest, author of Libertas.

'A wonderfully elegant and pithy reappraisal of the “miracle” that saved Britain.' Saul David.

Genres: Science, History

138 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 3, 2023

About the author

David Courtney Boyle was a British author and journalist who wrote mainly about history and new ideas in economics, money, business, and culture. He lived in Steyning in West Sussex.
He conducted an independent review for the Treasury and the Cabinet Office on public demand for choice in public services which reported in 2013. Boyle was a co-founder and policy director of Radix, which he characterized in 2017 as a radical centrist think tank. He was also co-director of the mutual think tank New Weather Institute.

Reviews

[Peiman · Rating 3 out of 5]

رابرت اوپنهایمر به عنوان پدر بمب اتم شناخته میشه و همین باعث جذابیتش میشه، جذابیت خودش نه، جذابیت فهمیدن در موردش. این کتاب به طور خلاصه به نحوه‌ی دستیابی آمریکا به بمب اتم پرداخته، ابتدا یک بیوگرافی کوتاه از دانشمندانی که در این راه نقش داشتند، بعد دلیل و کاتالیزور این تصمیم رو بیان کرده، روند ساخت و آزمایشش رو گفته ضمن مشکلاتی که در این پروسه و یا بین اعضا پیش اومده و در نهایت اتفاقاتی که پس از استفاده از بمب اتم در ژاپن افتاد و سرانجام این دانشمندان مخصوصاً رابرت اوپنهایمر. کتاب بدی نیست.ه

[M&A Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

"اوپنهایمر؛ دنیای ویران" روایت سه شخصیت به نام‌های: رابرت اوپنهایمر، ادوارد تلر و لوییس استراوس می‌باشد. این سه فرد کسانی بودند که در ساخت بمب اتم و بمباران کشور ژاپن بیشترین مشارکت را داشتند اما به مرور بین آن‌ها اختلاف بوجود می‌آید. در این کتاب دیوید بویل از زندگی شخصی و علمی رابرت اوپنهایمر و ارتباطاتش با ادوارد تلر و لوئیس اشتراوس گزارشی دقیق ارائه‌ می‌دهد.
فیلم «اوپنهایمر» به کارگردانی کریستوفر نولان، یکی از مهم‌ترین فیلم‌هایی بود که در سال 2023 به نمایش درآمد. این فیلم براساس کتاب «پرومته‌ی آمریکایی: پیروزی و تراژدی جی. رابرت اوپنهایمر» ساخته شده است. در خلال کتاب اوپنهایمر: دنیای ویران به این فیلم و بازیگرانش اشاره می‌شود. البته زمانی که دیوید بویل کتاب را می‌نوشت، فیلم هنوز بر پرده‌ی سینما نرفته بود؛ اما اطلاعات مربوط‌به آن در همه‌ی سایت‌ها دیده می‌شد.

[Omid Hosseini]

"اوپنهایمر، دنیای ویران" از نشر همراز با ترجمه‌ی امید حسینی منتشر شد 🤩

[Lance Lichtenwalter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the book, then see the movie

Good, easy read, the new (2023) movie clearly used this a a source, perhaps the prime one. The complicated relationships that RO had with so many of the principals is better understood with Boyle's book.

[Paul A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting summary of the nuclear weapons origins and proliferation'

It was fast moving but sufficiently detailed in explaining how the world arrived at its present state of nuclear and thermonuclear madness. The focus is on the career of Oppenheimer but has much to say about the influence and political machinations of Lewis Strauss and Edward Teller, the two who helped bring about mutual assured destruction as a deterrent to armed nuclear conflict. The author concludes with a mention of the Russia - Ukraine War ss becoming a possible test case for employing nuclear weapons. We shall see ...

[Sophie Allan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers a great, succinct insight into the life of Oppenheimer and those around him who helped manufacture the A-Bomb. Though, the writing style I found hard to follow at types, with a few typos and grammatical mistakes, nonetheless Boyle provides a lot of detail in a short frame! Recommend this book to anyone looking for a short historical account of Oppenheimer/Nuclear weapons

[Bruce Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Misleading

This book is purportedly about Oppenheiner, but its more about the Manhattan Project and the development and deployment of the world's first nuclear weapons. In that regard it does an okay job, but its very light on Oppenheiner himself until the ending chapters.

[Glenn Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you would like a general overview of Robert Oppenheimer, this is the book for you. Covers the high points, does not get down to the nitty gritty. Now, go see the movie.

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short concise read. Great intro to the history behind the atomic bomb and beginning of the cold war.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots to learn

A book about history I don't recall learning in school. At times I was lost in the science of it all. In general a glimpse into this part of history

[Alejandro J. Ferreyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

oppenheimer

Very interesting albeit written almost like a research paper. Overall, I enjoyed the book and all of the historical references.

[Gustavo Berber · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is confusing, mixes names and assumes everybody knows the nicknames of the main characters.

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting shoert biography - I had not realised the inquiry against him after the war

[Jimmy Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be an excellent book to read before you see the movie, Oppenheimer. There are many other Oppenheimer books, and most are more extensive. This book is good but summarizes some parts of the story. The story is more enjoyable if you know more about the supporting characters. Building the atomic bomb required teamwork, and Oppenheimer was the leader. As with any large project, behind the scenes politics were occurring.