109 East Palace
Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of Los Alamos
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Narrated by:
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Anne Twomey
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By:
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Jennet Conant
About this listen
They were greeted by Dorothy McKibbin, an attractive widow who was the least likely person imaginable to run a front for a clandestine defense laboratory. They stepped through her threshold into a parallel universe, the desert hideaway where Robert Oppenheimer and a team of world-famous scientists raced to build the first atomic bomb before Germany and bring World War II to an end.
Despite all the obstacles, Oppie managed to forge a vibrant community at Los Alamos through the sheer force of his personality. Dorothy devoted herself to taking care of him and his crew, and supported him through the terrifying preparations for the test explosion at Trinity and the harrowing aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In this deeply moving account, Conant reveals an enigmatic man who served his country at tremendous personal cost and whose singular achievement, and subsequent undoing, is at the root of our present nuclear predicament.
©2005 Jennet Conant (P)2005 Simon & Schuster Inc. AUDIOWORKS in an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Colin Powell is the embodiment of the American dream. He was born in Harlem to immigrant parents from Jamaica. He knew the rough life of the streets. He overcame a barely average start at school. Then he joined the Army. The rest is history - including Vietnam, the Pentagon, Panama, and Desert Storm - but a history that until now has been known only on the surface.
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Audio book is abridged!
- By Lydia on 02-11-21
By: Colin Powell
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A Brotherhood of Spies
- The U-2 and the CIA's Secret War
- By: Monte Reel
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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On May 1, 1960, an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union just weeks before a peace summit between the two nations. The CIA concocted a cover story for President Eisenhower to deliver, assuring him that no one could have survived a fall from that altitude. But against all odds, pilot Francis Gary Powers emerged from the wreckage and was seized by the KGB. Award-winning journalist Monte Reel reveals how the U-2 spy program, principally devised by four men working in secret, upended the Cold War and carved a new mission for the CIA.
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Lessons Learned
- By Jim on 12-13-18
By: Monte Reel
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In the Enemy's House
- The Secret Saga of the FBI Agent and the Code Breaker Who Caught the Russian Spies
- By: Howard Blum
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1946, genius linguist and codebreaker Meredith Gardner discovered that the KGB was running an extensive network of strategically placed spies inside the United States, whose goal was to infiltrate American intelligence and steal the nation's military and atomic secrets. Over the course of the next decade, he and young FBI supervisor Bob Lamphere worked together on Venona, a top-secret mission to uncover the Soviet agents and protect the Holy Grail of Cold War espionage - the atomic bomb.
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Excellent non-fiction spy story
- By Katherine on 10-13-18
By: Howard Blum
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Candy Bombers
- By: Andrei Cherny
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 24 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Acclaimed author Andrei Cherny tells the gripping saga of a rag-tag band of Americans - with limited resources and little hope for success - keeping West Berliners alive in the face of Soviet tyranny, winning the hearts and minds of former enemies, and giving the world a shining example of fundamental goodness.
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Wonderful Story, Well-Read
- By Alex on 10-07-09
By: Andrei Cherny
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Donovan
- America’s Master Spy
- By: Richard Dunlop, William Stephenson - foreword
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 25 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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The fascinating biography of the man who laid the foundation for the CIA. One of the most celebrated and highly decorated heroes of World War I, a noted trial lawyer, presidential adviser and emissary, and chief of America’s Office of Strategic Services during World War II, William J. Donovan was a legendary figure. Donovan, originally published in 1982, penetrates the cloak of secrecy surrounding this remarkable man. The result is the definitive biography that Donovan himself had always expected Dunlop would write.
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Fascinating Biography
- By Jean on 10-15-14
By: Richard Dunlop, and others
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The Woman Who Smashed Codes
- A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America's Enemies
- By: Jason Fagone
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1912, at the height of World War I, brilliant Shakespeare expert Elizebeth Smith went to work for an eccentric tycoon on his estate outside Chicago. The tycoon had close ties to the US government, and he soon asked Elizebeth to apply her language skills to an exciting new venture: code breaking. There she met the man who would become her husband, groundbreaking cryptologist William Friedman. Though she and Friedman are in many ways the Adam and Eve of the NSA, Elizebeth's story, incredibly, has never been told.
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Captivating Biography
- By Jean on 11-20-17
By: Jason Fagone
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The Book of Honor
- The Secret Lives and Deaths of CIA Operatives
- By: Ted Gup
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
- Abridged
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In the entrance of the CIA headquarters looms a huge marble wall in to which seventy-one stars are carved - each representing an agent who has died in the line of duty. At the base of this wall lies "The Book of Honor," in which the names of these agents are inscribed, or at least thirty-five of them... In this remarkable program, author Ted Gup delves into covert lives and classified deaths at the CIA.
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Painfully narrated.
- By RM on 08-16-19
By: Ted Gup
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Dark Sun
- The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb
- By: Richard Rhodes
- Narrated by: Richard Rhodes
- Length: 6 hrs
- Abridged
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Richard Rhodes' landmark history of the atomic bomb won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award and the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Now, in this majestic new masterpiece of history, science, and politics, he tells for the first time the secret story of how and why the hydrogen bomb was made, and traces the path by which this supreme artifact of 20th-century technology became the defining issue of the Cold War.
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Abridged??
- By Delano on 04-17-13
By: Richard Rhodes
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The Making of the Atomic Bomb
- 25th Anniversary Edition
- By: Richard Rhodes
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 37 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Here for the first time, in rich human, political, and scientific detail, is the complete story of how the bomb was developed, from the turn-of-the-century discovery of the vast energy locked inside the atom to the dropping of the first bombs on Japan. Few great discoveries have evolved so swiftly - or have been so misunderstood. From the theoretical discussions of nuclear energy to the bright glare of Trinity, there was a span of hardly more than 25 years.
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Beware limitations of the reader
- By JFanson on 01-01-19
By: Richard Rhodes
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Bland and tabloid-like
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Prior to the U.S. entering WWII, a small coterie of British spies in Washington, D.C., was formed. They called themselves the Baker Street Irregulars after the band of street urchins who were the eyes and ears of Sherlock Holmes in some Arthur Conan Doyle stories.
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Spying in Washington
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They arrived in New Mexico ready for adventure, or at least resigned to it. But hope quickly turned to hardship as they were forced to adapt to a rugged military town where everything was a secret--including what their husbands were doing at the lab. Though they were strangers, they joined together--adapting to a landscape as fierce as it was absorbing, full of the banalities of everyday life and the drama of scientific discovery. While the bomb was being invented, babies were born, friendships were forged, children grew up, and Los Alamos gradually transformed into a real community.
By: TaraShea Nesbit
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The Making of the Atomic Bomb
- 25th Anniversary Edition
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- Length: 37 hrs and 16 mins
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Here for the first time, in rich human, political, and scientific detail, is the complete story of how the bomb was developed, from the turn-of-the-century discovery of the vast energy locked inside the atom to the dropping of the first bombs on Japan. Few great discoveries have evolved so swiftly - or have been so misunderstood. From the theoretical discussions of nuclear energy to the bright glare of Trinity, there was a span of hardly more than 25 years.
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James Bryant Conant was a towering figure. He was at the center of the mammoth threats and challenges of the 20th century. As a young eminent chemist, he supervised the production of poison gas in WWI. As a controversial president of Harvard University, he was a champion of meritocracy and open admissions. As an advisor to FDR, he led the interventionist cause for US entrance in WWII.
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At the height of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home to 75,000 residents, consuming more electricity than New York City. But to most of the world, the town did not exist. Thousands of civilians - many of them young women from small towns across the South - were recruited to this secret city, enticed by solid wages and the promise of war-ending work. Kept very much in the dark, few would ever guess the true nature of the tasks they performed each day in the hulking factories in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains.
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Prior to the U.S. entering WWII, a small coterie of British spies in Washington, D.C., was formed. They called themselves the Baker Street Irregulars after the band of street urchins who were the eyes and ears of Sherlock Holmes in some Arthur Conan Doyle stories.
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- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
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What listeners say about 109 East Palace
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Warren
- 08-17-14
Enjoyed the history.....
What made the experience of listening to 109 East Palace the most enjoyable?
It walked you through the history of the Manhattan Project.
What about Anne Twomey’s performance did you like?
Great detail!
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes it was well read and interesting.
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1 person found this helpful
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- M & J Gorman
- 12-13-23
Very well written and very informative.
I liked it very much. Would have much preferred that it not be abridged. I like to read the kindle version of a book and have it read to me by the narrator.
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- M. Miles
- 03-11-15
Some Interesting Information but Not Well Written
This story gives some interesting information about the Manhattan Project and the Los Alamos nuclear bomb development but it isn't very well written. Too much emphasis is given to Oppenheimer's love life and not enough on what it was like to live in this community and what was involved in creating The Gadget. If you a looking for general information about the Manhattan Project, I think you would want to include this in your reading, just be ready to wade through some junk.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Golfdiva
- 08-14-18
Recommended
Wonderful story and essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Los Alamos. Well read, unfortunate that it is abridged
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1 person found this helpful
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- Bernese Mtn. Dog Mark
- 02-03-21
A story everyone needs to hear
Great book that tells the story behind the nuclear bomb development and the man and woman who insured its success. While I've heard the Oppenheimer story before, it is always disappointing to hear how the political system tries to destroy a person out of sheer jealousy.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Buffy Gilfoil
- 07-24-23
Excellent in all respects
Having made numerous trips to Sant Fe over the years, I was eager to unwrap the mystery of Los Alamos. The story from Dorothy’s perspective and the narration were outstanding.
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- Anthony L. Levinson
- 05-14-15
Worth the listen twice
A fascinating account of the humanity behind one of the greatest and scariest events in all of science. Well written and announced.
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1 person found this helpful
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- EmElDee4
- 08-22-24
The story of the scientist, Oppenheimer, who saved America bit was censored for it.
The details through Dorothy's perspective humanized the story of this complex scientist. she wad one of the many heroes who brought an end to WWII.
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- Brian E. Rowe
- 10-27-24
Informative and moving
My father was in the Special Engineer Detachment but shared little of his personal experiences in Los Alamos, so my brother and I finally visited the Manhattan project museum. Such an amazing compilation of materials and history gave us a context we hadn’t had before. We bought this book there and found a much better understanding of what it was like there during those formative years. The details about each of the scientists was riveting and the personal emotional tolls on each was telling. How shallow we are to turn heroes into villains
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- Andrea
- 05-04-12
BRILLIANT MINDS
Where does 109 East Palace rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Top 5. I am now on a Manhattan project binge.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I visited Sante Fe, saw 109 E Palace and stayed at the La Fonda before I heard the book. I couldn't get enough. I knew next to nothing about the Manhattan Project and nothing at all about the men involved. This moving little book is a great place to start if you have any interest in the MP. I can imagine the tzunami of men coming and going from that town 50 or 60 years ago. This is a great book.
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4 people found this helpful