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Genius in the Shadows: A Biography of Leo Szilard, the Man Behind the Bomb
Leo Szilard has long been overshadowed by such luminaries as Einstein, Oppenheimer, and Enrico Fermi—with whom he codesigned the first nuclear reactor in 1942. A shy, witty eccentric, the Hungarian born Szilard lived both sides of the arms race, working first to prevent, then to hasten, and finally to outlaw nuclear weapons.
"Lanouette's book is eminently readable. . . . An excellent book spiced with telling anecdotes about a strange man who influenced world history."—Max F. Perutz, New York Review of Books
"Lanouette's exhaustively researched and artfully written account of one of the most underrated figures of the atomic age establishes Szilard as both a curmudgeon and a posthumously honored prophet."—Gregg Herken, Nature
"William Lanouette . . . has written the most sensitive and lively biography. . . . The book gives an excellent picture of the man, and makes most interesting reading. I strongly recommend it."—Hans Bethe, Physics Today
"A wonderful book about this endlessly fascinating man . . . one of the most entertaining stories in recent years. . . . A keeper."—Dick Teresi, New York Times Book Review
"Lanouette's book is eminently readable. . . . An excellent book spiced with telling anecdotes about a strange man who influenced world history."—Max F. Perutz, New York Review of Books
"Lanouette's exhaustively researched and artfully written account of one of the most underrated figures of the atomic age establishes Szilard as both a curmudgeon and a posthumously honored prophet."—Gregg Herken, Nature
"William Lanouette . . . has written the most sensitive and lively biography. . . . The book gives an excellent picture of the man, and makes most interesting reading. I strongly recommend it."—Hans Bethe, Physics Today
"A wonderful book about this endlessly fascinating man . . . one of the most entertaining stories in recent years. . . . A keeper."—Dick Teresi, New York Times Book Review
608 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
98 people are currently reading
414 people want to read
About the author
William Lanouette
5 books1 followerWilliam Lanouette is a writer and policy analyst, as well as an expert on the Manhattan Project who has written extensively about the politics of nuclear weapons and power. He was the Washington Correspondent for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists before joining the U.S. General Accounting Office in 1991, from which he retired in 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 6, 2025
ha ez a faszi nem volt ADHD-s akkor senki se
February 21, 2019
I was recommended this book by my Modern Physics professor following a discussion about some historical physics personalities. My professor promised me a character, but I was not prepared for Leo. The book is extremely interesting and you do feel as if you know the man by the time you are finished reading. What an interesting life! This is a must-read for anyone considering themselves having an interest in science. It is so incredibly important that we not remain ignorant about the true history of some of the most important discoveries. I was certainly ignorant about Szilard's contributions to physics beforehand. Speaking for the intended audience, this is a five-star read.
September 7, 2022
I finished William Lanouette's Genius in the Shadow's: A Biography of Leo Szilard, the Man Behind the Bomb.
A found Szilard a difficult man to get a grip on. A genius but easily distracted, he moved from one idea to the next often expounding a great theory but often not going to the next level validate this thoughts, often passing them on to other's some of which achieved Nobel Prizes from the seed he planted.
Born in Hungary, later refusing to go back due to the fascist regime of Admiral Horthy and afterward because of what he saw as the legacy of this regime. HE served in the Austrian Army in World War I, attained Germany Citizenship in the day of the Weimar Republic, only later to leave because of the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party, later to emigrate to the England and later the United States where he became a naturalized citizen. He achieved his Ph.D. under the friendly guidance of Albert Einstein in Physics, after struggling between his father's wish of pursuing engineering.
An early visionary of the potential of nuclear fission to be both a source of energy and as a destructive force in the body of the atomic bomb and later the hydrogen bomb. He was one of those who encourage Einstein to write the now famous letter to President Franklin Roosevelt encouraging him to invest in the making of an atomic bomb. He was instrumental along with Enrico Fermi and developing the first atomic pile in Chicago and foresaw the earlier the value in both Uranium 235 and Plutonium as potential fuel for bombs.
Due to being an immigrant and a Jew and being a non conformist feel out with General Groves and was post World War II, blackballed from many posting in nuclear physics. Which along with his natural tendencies led him to to continue a trend of moving from one post to another without achieving a full time academic post in many of the institutions and facilities he worked in.
He struggled to stay on a singular course dabbling in physics, engineering, biology and social justice during he long career. He was after World War II among the vocal scientists, who were involved in the creation of the Atomic Bomb to push for Arms Control.
A fascinating multi-faceted and who had careers in numerous different disciplines. Not always easy to like and hard to understand but worth of time to study and strive to understand for the uniqueness he brough to the world of Science.
A found Szilard a difficult man to get a grip on. A genius but easily distracted, he moved from one idea to the next often expounding a great theory but often not going to the next level validate this thoughts, often passing them on to other's some of which achieved Nobel Prizes from the seed he planted.
Born in Hungary, later refusing to go back due to the fascist regime of Admiral Horthy and afterward because of what he saw as the legacy of this regime. HE served in the Austrian Army in World War I, attained Germany Citizenship in the day of the Weimar Republic, only later to leave because of the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party, later to emigrate to the England and later the United States where he became a naturalized citizen. He achieved his Ph.D. under the friendly guidance of Albert Einstein in Physics, after struggling between his father's wish of pursuing engineering.
An early visionary of the potential of nuclear fission to be both a source of energy and as a destructive force in the body of the atomic bomb and later the hydrogen bomb. He was one of those who encourage Einstein to write the now famous letter to President Franklin Roosevelt encouraging him to invest in the making of an atomic bomb. He was instrumental along with Enrico Fermi and developing the first atomic pile in Chicago and foresaw the earlier the value in both Uranium 235 and Plutonium as potential fuel for bombs.
Due to being an immigrant and a Jew and being a non conformist feel out with General Groves and was post World War II, blackballed from many posting in nuclear physics. Which along with his natural tendencies led him to to continue a trend of moving from one post to another without achieving a full time academic post in many of the institutions and facilities he worked in.
He struggled to stay on a singular course dabbling in physics, engineering, biology and social justice during he long career. He was after World War II among the vocal scientists, who were involved in the creation of the Atomic Bomb to push for Arms Control.
A fascinating multi-faceted and who had careers in numerous different disciplines. Not always easy to like and hard to understand but worth of time to study and strive to understand for the uniqueness he brough to the world of Science.
August 21, 2019
a bit long with too many small details of questionable relevance and some annoying repetitions however a very entertaining read on a fascinating, important and amazing human, who has not been well treated by History.
May 23, 2019
Very eye opening
Enjoyed very much. Made me breathless just keeping up with Leo.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested history.
Enjoyed very much. Made me breathless just keeping up with Leo.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested history.
July 19, 2020
An amazing character. Came up with the scientific concept underlying the nuclear bomb and was a founder of the Salk Institute.
January 31, 2023
Didn't know just how much of nuclear science was developed by this martian. He's quite a personality.
May 10, 2023
Close to a 4.5. Been wanting to read more about him for a while, hes my fav ww2 physicist
January 19, 2024
A biography of one of the greatest physicists and humanitarians the world has ever seen. A man was completely overshadowed by men who were not up to his level of genius.
June 19, 2025
Most Americans have never heard of Leo Szilard, however, his achievements in atomic research should place his name alongside Einstein and Oppenheimer. His life epitomizes the saying “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
July 27, 2012
i love leo szilard!!!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews