Müzeyyen Senar - Meşk kitap serbest oDF biçim

Anita Naneva anitananeva — hard to say I liked it as it is very heavy and threw me for a loop but it's well written

Blaza Art blazaart — AMERICAN PROMETHEUS; THE TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY OF J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin could not be more aptly named as it attempts to impart structure as well as historical insight into this heavily researched biography. Historical insight is the dominant theme. A huge amount of space is given to Oppenheimer's associations at Berkeley, his sympathy for social causes, his interest in the plight of acquaintances fleeing Nazi Germany, and the wide swathe of people attracted to his circle by his passions in literature, music, foreign languages, philosophy and psychology as well as his own field of theoretical physics. The minutiae of these associations can appear excessive. However, the reader needs to be patient. All of this is to lay the groundwork for the post-Trinity period. The hysteria of the McCarthy era coupled with illegal surveillance and wiretaps were used by political enemies to smear Oppenheimer's reputation. Bird and Sherwin do more than draw on a hysterical Zeitgeist. They reveal an undercurrent of political conflict and personal vindictiveness. For the wider scientific community, the persecution of Oppenheimer was a painful example of how their influence would be circumscribed from any public policy debate. Informed opinions and even petitions were indiscriminately classified not only to prevent public debate, but, at times, to isolate the President from the influence of dissenting advisers. This historical theme unmasks the harsh and convoluted gamesmanship that is the stuff of international politics. It is a reality that both the public and the press are still reluctant to acknowledge openly. The effect on the reader is both dismay and alarm. The politics of dropping the atomic bomb as well as the decisions paving the way for the nuclear arms race are re-opened to discussion. As a pioneering theoretical physicist, charismatic intellect, and ambition-driven leader Oppenheimer unlocked the secrets of atomic energy and was punished for it. The intellectual thread of the story is even more challenging and fascinating than the historical thread. Oppenheimer was a pivotal figure in the history of science: Scores of top physicists including Nobel laureates built off his ideas. Given the technical nature of these advances in physics, the authors can only allude to the scientific achievements he inspired. Einstein, Bohr, Feynman, Heisenberg and dozens of others pass in and out of Oppenheimer's life at various points. These names are practically household words, but few of us could describe their exact scientific contributions. It is discomfiting to realize that Europe was the center of science in Oppenheimer's youth, and that the top scientific minds were attracted to the United States both because they were forced to flee Germany and because they were drawn by Oppenheimer's reputation. This is a long book, but well worth the effort. It is both sobering and thought-provoking. Finally, it demythologizes a person who through his very public role has become a symbol in the public consciousness. This book refocuses attention on the shifting contradictions of a very human genius.