The Making of the Atomic Bomb Audiobook By Richard Rhodes cover art

The Making of the Atomic Bomb

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The Making of the Atomic Bomb

By: Richard Rhodes
Narrated by: Holter Graham
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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. What began as merely an interesting speculative problem in physics grew into the Manhattan Project and then into the bomb with frightening rapidity, while scientists known only to their peers - Szilard, Teller, Oppenheimer, Bohr, Meitner, Fermi, Lawrence, and yon Neumann - stepped from their ivory towers into the limelight.

Richard Rhodes takes us on that journey step by step, minute by minute, and gives us the definitive story of man's most awesome discovery and invention. The Making of the Atomic Bomb has been compared in its sweep and importance to William L. Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. It is at once a narrative tour de force and a document as powerful as its subject.

©1995 Richard Rhodes (P)2016 Simon & Schuster Americas History History & Philosophy Military Nuclear Warfare Physics Science United States Wars & Conflicts Weapons & Warfare World War II Funny Thought-Provoking Nuclear Weapons

Featured Article: 12 Thrilling History Listens to Get Ready for Oppenheimer


Dubbed the "father of the atomic bomb," J. Robert Oppenheimer was a theoretical physicist who gained notoriety for the role he played in the Manhattan Project and the creation of the very first nuclear weapon. After the atomic bomb was developed, it was deployed by the United States to destroy the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These listens provide historical context about the man at the center of Christopher Nolan's biopic.

Featured Article 12 Thrilling History Listens to Get Ready for Oppenheimer
Masterful Storytelling • Comprehensive Narrative • Excellent Reading Clarity • Accessible Physics Explanations
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But this book was perfect for me. Suffice it to say that los alamos is just a part of the story. The story of this book starts before atomic structure was known and ends with the dropping of the bomb. Yea >30 hours ... but this is my car commute book so length makes it a great value.

I'm following this with "First into Nagasaki" which is proving to be a good follow on book.

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This story has it all no stone left Unturned I read the original hard copy after hearing Rhodes interviewed in 1986 on local radio. So getting the chance now to have the book listened to is a real treat. What a shame at the same time that its sequel Dark Sun is only available in Abridged form when its story is equally compelling not because of the science (which is covered so thoroughly in this book) but because the first half covers the espionage undertaken by the Soviets to have their form of The Gadget, which of course was Fatman. I've seen other reviewers express the same sentiment of Dark Sun, hopefully someone reads these reviews and is considering an unabridged release of that equally compelling tome.

Note to listeners: upon completing the audible I find that the epilogue, about 30 pages of the post-war attempt at Arms Control is also missing relative to the print edition of 1986 Perhaps this was a method because much of this material is covered in Dark Sun.

Science, history and war making.

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This is a great story;it starts by introducing the main players in the theory of nuclear physics at the turn of the century. Give a background of the research that was done and how one experiment lead to another and it cascaded into the bombs. However, was a bit wandering at times, I remember a long description on the use of poison gas in the Great War, which felt out of place to me. Also the chapters are very long and full of dense information, I have a minor in physics and I had to go back and re listen a number of times, so I probably wouldn't recommend this to someone with no background in physics. All in all though a grad read.

Informative, but wandering

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The writing is accessible to the lay person and the historical characters' quirks add color. I'm glad I listened to this long description of a crucial period in physics, it sheds some light on this often impenetrable branch of science.
The narrator, on the other hand, makes an alarming number of blunders in his pronunciation of foreign names, titles and Greek letters. It does not detract from the subject itself, but it is annoying.

Thorough and enjoyable story, mediocre narrator

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I will insist to my children that they digest the horror of this event - brilliantly articulated here - to help humanity prevent a recurrence forever after - even if the odds are only a fraction of 1 percent.

A must listen / read

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Everyone alive today should have to read this or at least understand the implications of using our US weapons systems. It's astounding how numb we as a people can become in just a few generations. Highly recommended.

Paradigm shift

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Spellbinding historical account with a deep-enough review of the underlying atomic physics to make it interesting for those who love to un-peel the science.

Great combination of fission physics and history!

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Outstanding in breadth, clarity and the depiction of character. It is absorbing and reads at times like a thriller.

Remarkable historical achievement

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This book is thought provoking on so many levels. A marvel of human ingenuity. A stark and cold reality of tough decisions. An eye opening revelation into what such a weapon really does and what it really means to this world that is living with this capability that is a MAD.

Mind Blowing

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Brings to life the times and the moral challenges confronting those who made and used the bomb. Fascinating and bone chilling.

Brilliant

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