America's Children

by James Thackara

Book Overview

America's Children is a multi-layered story of Christian and Marxist values; of love of family and land; of invisible high-energy particles and Pentagon technocrats; of thrilling scientific discovery... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1585672475
• ISBN13: 9781585672479
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Overlook Press
• Length: 330 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.6" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Robert Oppenheimer's Moral Struggle with the Atomic Bomb

A fascinating look at the life of Robert Oppenheimer as a person, rather than as the "father" of the atomic bomb. Oppenheimer was chosen by General Groves to lead the development of an atomic bomb in 1943, a highly secret undertaking in the midst of World War II that brought together at Los Alamos a unique collection of the world's top physicists. Oppie, his wife Kitty, brother Frank and many friends were sympathetic to the Communist cause prior to WW II; some were involved in the Spanish Civil War on the anti-fascist side. So here we have a paradox of a communist sympathizer leading a top-secret project. Until 1945 it was thought that the Russians were the allies of the West and it would be logical to let them in on the secrets of bomb design. But things changed in 1945 and the Russians became our enemy, with much resulting paranoia, particularly when the Russians tested their own bomb.James Thackara follows the rise and fall of "Oppie" in a well written and historically accurate manner. His grasp of the science is not very good but that is not the main issue. It came down to whether Oppie was a spy or a well-intentioned, yet naive, moralist. In the hysteria of Washington in the 50's the politicians and military thought the former; Oppie's scientific colleagues for the most part thought the latter. A notable exception was Edward Teller who was hell-bent on developing the "Super", the thermonuclear bomb, against Oppie's advice. At the security hearing in the 50's Teller spoke out against his critic.This book addresses important moral issues in the same admirable way as the author's "The Book of Kings". These issues are still relevant to the 21st century. The book is highly recommended to the serious reader of "fiction" whose underlying facts are real.