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The Making of the Atomic Bomb

The Making of the Atomic Bomb

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  • Create Date：2021-06-02 11:55:40
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Richard Rhodes
  • ISBN：1471111237
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Summary

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 twenty-five 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。

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Reviews

Hunter Maxfield ，

There should be no levity in choice of nation and its leaders。 Though in ideality we are free live as we please， there are always larger games at play， ones that can bring complete destruction to our lives。 After completing this book， I am no more certain on whether or not those bombs should have been dropped。 As is always the case， nuance provides more confusion to the common individual。 Indeed， it is in the loneliness of leadership where nuance is sifted for the thread that is most important。 There should be no levity in choice of nation and its leaders。 Though in ideality we are free live as we please， there are always larger games at play， ones that can bring complete destruction to our lives。 After completing this book， I am no more certain on whether or not those bombs should have been dropped。 As is always the case， nuance provides more confusion to the common individual。 Indeed， it is in the loneliness of leadership where nuance is sifted for the thread that is most important。 This is evident throughout the entire book， with all leaders of world powers having seen before them the idea of an atom bomb， but many too myopic to believe such a technology possible in the near term。 In a strike a brilliance or luck， FDR saw the forest from the trees amidst the deadliest war in human history。 Robert Oppenheimer struck me as a fantastically important character as well。 A leader of the scientists， with the ability to go as deep as needed on issues of scientific obstacles， while also conversing with government officials。 On both sides egos and politics ran amok， but he ultimately orchestrated the band to develop one of the most significant feats of physics in a relatively short amount of time。 We are at the behest of natural laws that provide us a consistent environment in which we can try to understand them。 Physics is that field of study where the unknown and marvelous is sought to be understood。 An open and brilliant group of individuals that feed of each other are able to produce the impossible if they are so committed。 In the course of human events made known to me， the reports of what took place in Hiroshima and Nagasaki ranks near the top of the list。 Horror and devastation on a level that was described as a literal hell on earth。 Human beings in one second can be concerned for the trivial， the next in complete survival mode and ravaging。 。。。more

Alvaro Hidalgo Rodriguez ，

This is what a non-fiction book should be。 It is excellent as a science book， as a history book， and as a biography。 Written in a clear yet elegant prose。 It reads like a suspense novel in many sections which， in spite of me knowing what the final outcome was， still gave me a feeling of trepidation。 Amazing book。 It really is。

Sandy ，

I read this back in the 80 and thought it was an amazing story then。 I just finished rereading it - and it is even better。 A great history of nuclear physics at the beginning of the 20th century， a profound story about the effort that went into the creation of this awful weapon， and what i did not remember - a profound meditation on secrecy and the social implications of trying to deal with this kind of existential threat to mankind。 Highly recommended。

David Hohrath ，

Great book that is perfectly captures its story with its title。This book details histories of World War II， scientific discoveries and scientists in chemistry and physics that made the atomic bomb possible， as well as the development of the nuclear physics field itself。 This book is definitely not a light read or listen （if audio book）。 I listened to it on audiobook and it is close to 40 hours in length。 This book would be good for anyone who is looking for a historical read focused on scientif Great book that is perfectly captures its story with its title。This book details histories of World War II， scientific discoveries and scientists in chemistry and physics that made the atomic bomb possible， as well as the development of the nuclear physics field itself。 This book is definitely not a light read or listen （if audio book）。 I listened to it on audiobook and it is close to 40 hours in length。 This book would be good for anyone who is looking for a historical read focused on scientific advances or scientific history or those interesting in nuclear physics or engineering。 Due to its length I may not re-read the entire book， but certainly would revisit particular sections related to certain events or discoveries。 Overall enjoyed it thoroughly。 。。。more

Hiawatha Bray ，

For years I've argued that James McPherson's history of the American Civil War， Battle Cry of Freedom， is the best one-volume history of anything I've ever read。 Well， now it's a tie。Rhodes' book has been around for decades but I only recently got around to it。 Shame on me。 It's magnificent--a scientific and political history of the greatest scientific research project of all time， and the hellish consequences of its success。 It's dense with detail， yet reads like a thriller。 And to the author's For years I've argued that James McPherson's history of the American Civil War， Battle Cry of Freedom， is the best one-volume history of anything I've ever read。 Well， now it's a tie。Rhodes' book has been around for decades but I only recently got around to it。 Shame on me。 It's magnificent--a scientific and political history of the greatest scientific research project of all time， and the hellish consequences of its success。 It's dense with detail， yet reads like a thriller。 And to the author's credit， he documents in horrific detail the consequences of the decision to use the bomb。You've got to read this。 。。。more

Becky L Long ，

Audiobook read by Holter Graham。 Excellent narration。 This book is a long haul but the history here is fascinating。 I studied nuclear engineering in college and wish I would have read this book at that time。 We did hear some of these stories from our professors， likely passed down through the generations， but having the full picture makes it come alive。 I can honestly say that I hope an atomic bomb will never again be used， but I fully believe in utilizing nuclear power for carbon-free electrici Audiobook read by Holter Graham。 Excellent narration。 This book is a long haul but the history here is fascinating。 I studied nuclear engineering in college and wish I would have read this book at that time。 We did hear some of these stories from our professors， likely passed down through the generations， but having the full picture makes it come alive。 I can honestly say that I hope an atomic bomb will never again be used， but I fully believe in utilizing nuclear power for carbon-free electricity。 Masterfully researched and put together。 I've loved the books I've read by Richard Rhodes and have added him to my "read everything by this author" list。 While I would recommend everyone read this book， I understand that would fall on deaf ears。 If you're interested in the history of science and innovation or what motivates people to pursue work in one area or another or the general history of World War 2 or even how modern physics got its birth， this is the book for you。 。。。more

Alex ，

Incredible book with massive scope。 Covers the biography of the players， the history of the circumstances， and the physics of the atom， and how they lead to the creation of the atomic bomb in insane detail。 The only other books I've read with even similar scope are Godel Escher Bach， & Infinite Jest。 Incredible book with massive scope。 Covers the biography of the players， the history of the circumstances， and the physics of the atom， and how they lead to the creation of the atomic bomb in insane detail。 The only other books I've read with even similar scope are Godel Escher Bach， & Infinite Jest。 。。。more

Ben Seitzer ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 If the chemical difference between uranium 235 and uranium 238 really gets you going， boy oh boy do I have 800 pages for you！！！ After several experiences， I have just come to accept the fact that winning a Pulitzer Prize means you write a book that is so dense with information， it takes a heroic effort to get through it。 I want a prize too tbh。 Like all good history books， there’s no justification of decisions or characters as good or evil。 Rhodes lays out the context and lets the actual people If the chemical difference between uranium 235 and uranium 238 really gets you going， boy oh boy do I have 800 pages for you！！！ After several experiences， I have just come to accept the fact that winning a Pulitzer Prize means you write a book that is so dense with information， it takes a heroic effort to get through it。 I want a prize too tbh。 Like all good history books， there’s no justification of decisions or characters as good or evil。 Rhodes lays out the context and lets the actual people speak for themselves。 If you have the stomach， I do recommend at least reading some of the eyewitness accounts of Hiroshima to know what human beings now have the power to inflict on each other。 That was such a powerful and heavy way to end the book。Neils Bohr was one of the physicists who discovered the atom （and tried to get everyone to not use it as a weapon， but believe it or not the US military didn’t listen）。 He was always emphasizing the “complementary” nature of the atom。 It has the power to end all war， but also to destroy the world。 I thought that was a cool takeaway 。。。more

Diana Jung ，

The most comprehensive history of the making of the atomic bomb。 This book goes into all the details of each chemist/physicist/officer involved， sometimes also detailing their personal lives。 Really long read， but it was worth it。First half of the book follows perhaps the most exciting time in the development of physics- discovering of the atom， the nucleus and the structure of the atom and the physical properties thought of by theories but proved with experiments。 Early 1900s really seem like t The most comprehensive history of the making of the atomic bomb。 This book goes into all the details of each chemist/physicist/officer involved， sometimes also detailing their personal lives。 Really long read， but it was worth it。First half of the book follows perhaps the most exciting time in the development of physics- discovering of the atom， the nucleus and the structure of the atom and the physical properties thought of by theories but proved with experiments。 Early 1900s really seem like the golden age for physics and chemistry。It was enlightening to read about the moral considerations of an atomic bomb。 Through many direct quotes， the book puts us in the shoes of the scientists who found themselves in this position of great power and responsibility。 There are of course a difference in opinions between them of whether creating and using the atomic bomb on Japan was the right thing。 We will never know for sure， but the devastating recollections of survivors at the end of the book set the scene for a new post-atomic bomb world， and it is a dark vision: one world full of weapons of mass destruction。It felt like the book abruptly ended with the drop of the bombs in Japan; I'll be reading The Doomsday Machine soon as a followup， as suggested by Ben。 。。。more

Ken ，

You know a book's gonna go in-depth when it starts 60 years before its climax。I listened to the audiobook of this。Each time he described the horrible weapons of war - Gas attacks in WW1， the bombs and firestorms of WW2， the explosion of the USS Arizona，I almost felt physically sick。 How could someone make sure terrible things？ But then I realized the Atomic Bomb is the worst of these weapons。At the end of the book， I was greeted by a 30-minute description of first-person accounts from hiroshima。 You know a book's gonna go in-depth when it starts 60 years before its climax。I listened to the audiobook of this。Each time he described the horrible weapons of war - Gas attacks in WW1， the bombs and firestorms of WW2， the explosion of the USS Arizona，I almost felt physically sick。 How could someone make sure terrible things？ But then I realized the Atomic Bomb is the worst of these weapons。At the end of the book， I was greeted by a 30-minute description of first-person accounts from hiroshima。 There were people whose skin had peeled off and were hanging by their fingertips， others who had blood leaking from their skin， not a single person left uninjured， everyone covered in boils， many without hair。 Absolutely awful。I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about one of the most famous （and tragically successful） intersections between science and war。On another note it was pretty fun to hear about all the characters from my high school chemistry textbook！ Bohr， Rutherford， Curie， Einstein， and Fermi were all featured in this book。 。。。more

Doubledf99。99 ，

This masterpiece was a great listen in the audiobook format with an excellent narrator， great history lesson about the scientists， research and the politics that pulled it all together。

Þorkell Egilsson ，

Horrific and intriquing， attractive and repulsive。 The Bomb of annihilation was invented by and made by nerds， i。e。 skinny geeks with glasses。 Gifted guys with above 200 IQ ratings。 I love it and hate it at the same time。 Great read for the people who are curious about fundamentals and serious war crimes。

Kovács Marcell ，

Never read anything like this before。A complete account on how science intertwined politics， from the discovery of radiation in the early 19s to the destruction of Hiroshima。 I was motivated to learn more of the immense efforts， energy， money and careers invested in developing the bomb， and how was it possible that 40，000 people worked day and night for years in the desert of Los Álmos， to create a wepon that took the world by surprise。 750 page later， I understood that decades of continuous and Never read anything like this before。A complete account on how science intertwined politics， from the discovery of radiation in the early 19s to the destruction of Hiroshima。 I was motivated to learn more of the immense efforts， energy， money and careers invested in developing the bomb， and how was it possible that 40，000 people worked day and night for years in the desert of Los Álmos， to create a wepon that took the world by surprise。 750 page later， I understood that decades of continuous and evolving scientific discovery created the possibility to make it happen。 The invention of the bomb， and the underlying theory of nuclear fission can not be attributed to a single person not a country or a company。 Each discovery underpinned the next one from Denmark， UK， Germany， Italy and Japan as well as Russia。 The US enabled the ecosystem to transform theory to reality。 A story where researchers are in the spotlight and Richard Rhodes gives a sirurgical portray on the inner drive and characteristics of names， suchs as Bohre， Oppenheimer， Heisenberg， Fermi and many more which I could have not connect to or relate to before at any level。 The stories of Szilard Leo， Eugene Wigner and Edward Teller - the Men from the Mars - from Hungary， united in their quest to pursue science in the US， are particularly dear to me as it was always obscure at what degree they have contributed to the program。I was never into physics besides school， and after reading the book， I honestly could not explain how the nucluer reactor works， but it gave me a general idea of what crucial steps were necessary to reap the benefits of unlimited energy。 。。。more

Omar El Jundi ，

Richard Rhodes is a great storyteller。 As I read this book I was immersed in the time and place。 I could feel that sense of discovery， enjoy the moments of insight and suffer the heightened tension of key moments in history。 And of course at the end the horrible consequences of the bomb are made ever so much more poignant。

Holly Davies ，

Excellent job telling the extremely comprehensive story of such a monumental moment in our human history and all of the work and brain power behind it。 The book covers all the historical， personal and scientific context one could need to understand how the nuclear bomb came to be from how nuclear theory evolved， how chain reactions came to be considered plausible and the political and military action and secrecy to make such a program possible。 Fascinating， highly recommend！

Elise ，

Definitely both a history book AND a scientific book。 I admit that I glossed over some of the science details my nuclear engineer husband might better appreciate， but I really like the history。 Lots of interesting things I didn't know。 VERY long。 Definitely both a history book AND a scientific book。 I admit that I glossed over some of the science details my nuclear engineer husband might better appreciate， but I really like the history。 Lots of interesting things I didn't know。 VERY long。 。。。more

Smithsi ，

Takes the story of the atomic bomb from early physics right through to the dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima。 Highly recommended， highly informative， I learnt so much about physics from reading this book。

Cav ，

"It is still an unending source of surprise for me to see how a few scribbles on a blackboard or on a sheet of paper could change the course of human affairs。。。" ~ Stanislaw UlamAuthor Richard Lee Rhodes is an American historian， journalist， and author of both fiction and non-fiction。 He opens this epic ~1，200 page book with the above quote。 Richard Rhodes: The Making of the Atomic Bomb was first published by Simon & Schuster in 1987。 It won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction， the "It is still an unending source of surprise for me to see how a few scribbles on a blackboard or on a sheet of paper could change the course of human affairs。。。" ~ Stanislaw UlamAuthor Richard Lee Rhodes is an American historian， journalist， and author of both fiction and non-fiction。 He opens this epic ~1，200 page book with the above quote。 Richard Rhodes: The Making of the Atomic Bomb was first published by Simon & Schuster in 1987。 It won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction， the National Book Award for Nonfiction， and a National Book Critics Circle Award。The title of this one is a bit misleading。 While the making of the bomb is discussed here， there is a very long intro leading up its eventual creation。 Indeed， Rhodes does not get to the early musings of a possible bomb until ~page 350， and the beginning of the Manhattan Project that would produce it until page ~450。 He first takes a deep dive into the genesis of the field of nuclear physics; giving a detailed account of the lives of many of its pioneering scientists as well。 Some of the central characters that Rhodes follows here are:* Leo Szilard* Niels Bohr* Albert Einstein* Enrico Fermi* Edward Teller* Robert Oppenheimer* Werner HeisenbergThe writing here details the events leading up to， and including the Second World War， culminating with the dropping of the bombs that would end the Japanese involvement in the war。Many topics tangentially related to the bomb project are also covered here by Rhodes; including a history of antisemitism in Europe and Russia。 Many historic pogroms are discussed。 The story of German and Japanese efforts to produce a bomb are also covered， as is Edward Teller's quest for a "Super"; a fusion-powered thermonuclear bomb。 The Making of the Atomic Bomb is a very technical book。 Rhodes goes into quite a lot of detail about nuclear physics， and the technical aspects of the bomb。 So be aware of this before you start。 It might be a good idea to brush up on some basic nuclear physics before starting this one。 The first man-made nuclear explosion: Trinity， 05:29:45 hours， July 16， 1945: Los Alamos director Robert Oppenheimer （left） subsequently visited the site with Manhattan Project commanding general Leslie R。 Groves and found only the reinforcing rods of the tower footings left unvaporized: Thankfully， Rhodes writes with an engaging style that holds the attention of the reader well。 Making it through this book's ~1，200 pages would have been a nightmare otherwise。The formatting of the book is also well done。 Rhodes unfolds this story in a chronological fashion; giving the reader relevant context and background information as he introduces each new player and event。Rhodes details the dropping of both atomic bombs on Japan near the end of the book。 He includes many first-hand accounts， from some of the Japanese civilians that were on the ground at the time。 He writes of the dropping of the first bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima:"Not human beings alone died at Hiroshima。 Something else was destroyed as well， the Japanese study explains—that shared life Hannah Arendt calls the common world:In the case of an atomic bombing 。 。 。 a community does not merely receive an impact; the community itself is destroyed。2697 Within 2 kilometers of the atomic bomb’s hypocenter all life and property were shattered， burned， and buried under ashes。 The visible forms of the city where people once carried on their daily lives vanished without a trace。 The destruction was sudden and thorough; there was virtually no chance to escape。 。 。 。 Citizens who had lost no family members in the holocaust were as rare as stars at sunrise。 。 。 。The atomic bomb had blasted and burned hospitals， schools， city offices， police stations， and every other kind of human organization。 。 。 。 Family， relatives， neighbors， and friends relied on a broad range of interdependent organizations for everything from birth， marriage， and funerals to firefighting， productive work， and daily living。 These traditional communities were completely demolished in an instant。。。" The Making of the Atomic Bomb was an incredibly detailed and informative account of the history of nuclear physics， as well as the complete story of the building of the bombs that would shape the modern world。 My only criticism of it is that it was extremely long， and the writing was very technical at times。 These two factors will likely see many readers of this book lost in the weeds。I did still enjoy this one and would recommend it to anyone interested。4 stars。 。。。more

Arnold ，

A tremendous work of history that， though exhaustive and technical at times—it begins decades before the Manhattan Project， with the discoveries of subatomic particles， and gets pretty into the weeds on the physics—remains engaging and well-written throughout。 This book reminded me of the work of Robert Caro， which to me is very high praise。

Tom Johnson ，

Stupendous read。 788 pages of text and the book only bogged down on the last few pages - the political bit attempting an answer as to， "what now？" From the penultimate page， I found this， "No one any longer considers disease a political issue （HA！ These words were written in 1986， and here we sit now amongst the MAGA hats， the GOP reactionaries， as we collectively take giant steps backwards in time） and only modern primitives （great moniker for devil worshipping white power evangelicals， "modern Stupendous read。 788 pages of text and the book only bogged down on the last few pages - the political bit attempting an answer as to， "what now？" From the penultimate page， I found this， "No one any longer considers disease a political issue （HA！ These words were written in 1986， and here we sit now amongst the MAGA hats， the GOP reactionaries， as we collectively take giant steps backwards in time） and only modern primitives （great moniker for devil worshipping white power evangelicals， "modern primitives"） … （who） consider it （devastating disease， floods， earthquakes， fires， etc。， etc。， a judgement of God"。 （Their god being Baal （actually Mot would be a more suitable deity for the "modern primitive" Republican））。 Whatever， the science is fascinating。 The story of how a host of brilliant minds figured out the atom; and then， clever creatures that they were， unleashed the power within。 Too bad humankind contains but a sprinkling of the brilliant and a tsunami of the stupid。Page 165 - discovery of the neutron， 1932 Page 269 - the splitting of the uranium atom， 1939， the resultant energy release。 A short distance from that point to chain reaction and the potential for an atomic bomb。Page 433 Fermi's pile - when Compton gave the go-ahead， he was risking a small Chernobyl in the midst of a crowded city， Chicago。 Because of the perceived threat from Nazi Germany， great risks were continually taken in order to save time; hence the appalling radiative residue of Yakima and Oak Ridge and other military sites。 （Not to gainsay anyone's fear of Hitler having the Bomb）。The awe inspiring building projects to create the cities necessary to construct the huge plants that would separate the U235 from U238 （Oak Ridge National Laboratory） and that would create Plutonium （Washington state's Hanford Engineer Works）; all while maintaining the strictest secrecy。 Amazing what this country can accomplish when we work together。 If you've ever wondered how Little Boy and Fat Man were triggered the answers are within the pages of this book。 It's just more amazing stuff。Also the following problems were presented along with their solutions: -calculate the critical mass and nuclear efficiency of various bomb designs -implosion work for Fat Man -the necessary purity of U235 and how to attain it。 -how fast the gun assemblies would have to fir to avoid pre detonation -the hydrodynamics of implosion - xenon poisoning of the reactor at Hanford - the initiator at the center of the hollow core of the sphere of plutonium - the critical time for the release of the 10 neutrons to initiate the chain reaction was ten-millionth of a second。 - the high voltage capacitors that fired Fat Man's multiple detonators with microsecond simultaneity In order to fire Fat Man， precision molding and shaped charges were the most innovative design steps in the making of the plutonium bombThe array of laboratories and factories within the Manhattan Project were as large as the United States' entire auto industry at that time。Stalin was aware of the Trinity test。If I understood correctly， in my reading of the book， "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J。 Robert Oppenheimer"， the Japanese government was more concerned that Stalin's forces would be part of the allied invasion force than they were of the atomic-bomb。 Between "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" and "American Prometheus" I would favor the latter。 Both were excellent。 。。。more

Nirmal ，

At 900+ pages （or at 37+ hours of audiobook）， this is a compressive history of nuclear energy with almost all （early） 20th century physicist playing a part or at least making a cameo。 It covers lots of fascinating characters and their stories。 A complaint I have is in the last part of the book it veers away from science and into politics at the cost of talking about scientific history of Manhattan project。 Overall entertaining and educational read （or listen in my case）。

Andrea Moro ，

This is an AMAZING book。 I've never read a book so MONUMENTAL about non-fiction topics。 I think that almost 3000 citations from other sources （incredible bibliography！！） is just a single parameter to measure the incredible work of Mr。 Rhodes。 This is the definitive and incredible story of the making of the atomic bomb， basically the story of the scientists that made the tiny atom so fundamental in our modern society。 This is an AMAZING book。 I've never read a book so MONUMENTAL about non-fiction topics。 I think that almost 3000 citations from other sources （incredible bibliography！！） is just a single parameter to measure the incredible work of Mr。 Rhodes。 This is the definitive and incredible story of the making of the atomic bomb， basically the story of the scientists that made the tiny atom so fundamental in our modern society。 。。。more

Bobby Gunning ，

Masterpiece

Matthew ，

This was fantastic - mixing science， history， and biography in a well written and compelling story。 I admit the beginning caught me off-guard as he led off with Leo Szilard， not a name with which I had previously been familiar。 I was also a little put off at the end - the eyewitness stories of the Hiroshima damage seemed to go on a bit excessively。 Everything in between was fascinating。

Michalis Georgiou ，

A masterpiece。

Rumen Hristov ，

A wonderful book going in a lot of depth about physics， physicists and the development of the Second World War。 I was surprised that for the first half of the book there was no mention of the Manhattan project。 As any scientific discovery， the Manhattan project was just the tip of a series of fundamental discoveries in early 20 century and the author spends significant part of the book talking about exactly this foundation that allowed the making of the bomb。 I learned a lot about the lives of a A wonderful book going in a lot of depth about physics， physicists and the development of the Second World War。 I was surprised that for the first half of the book there was no mention of the Manhattan project。 As any scientific discovery， the Manhattan project was just the tip of a series of fundamental discoveries in early 20 century and the author spends significant part of the book talking about exactly this foundation that allowed the making of the bomb。 I learned a lot about the lives of a great generation of inspiring physicists in the early 20 century。 The book followed a lot of people and told the stories of their discoveries and consequential Nobel prizes。 Many of these people were Jews in Europe and the book talks about the development of the war and how these people escaped German occupied territories。 Funnily enough， these same people that were forced out ended up in the US and were a big part of the driving force to create the bomb。 I really enjoyed the stories of the war and the US internal organization。 Starting with all of the debates whether Nuclear energy is feasible and worth pursuing， what was the life of the scientists while making the bomb and what was the management structure and how the decisions were made。 The book finishes with the bombings of Japan - how the decision was made and the impact of it。 The author has included several pages of stories of Japanese citizens living in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the bombing and tells their terrifying stories。 These stories had an effect on me much bigger than any documentary or movie about the atomic bomb and they show the disastrous nature of it。 The book is complicated and some parts of it read like a technical paper。 At one point， I was confused with a certain part and I thought I just did not pay enough attention in the previous few pages。 I went to Wikipedia and tried to understand the difference between the isotopes of Uranium and what is the difference and conversion process between U235 and U238。 However， even after an hour in wikipedia I had more questions than answers - only to prove that the book was so dense and technical that there was no simple explanation and even if you pay maximal attention things won't be simple。。。 There was one unsatisfying thing in the book。 The author spent a lot of time talking about the secrecy of the Manhattan project and all of the US emphasize on not disclosing anything to the Russians。 However， towards the end of the book the author sneaked in one very short sentences implying that all of these efforts did not work and Stalin knew a lot of details about the project before the bombings in Japan。。 I guess that's an introduction towards Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb as it talks a lot about the Russian spies。 。。。more

Yevgeniy Brikman ，

The good- A detailed and comprehensive history of how the first atomic bombs were developed， including all the scientific discoveries that led up to it， the scientists involved， the research work， the engineering work， the political work， what the work looked like in each country （including how close Germany and Japan came to developing their own atomic bombs）， the role of the bomb in the war， the role of such powerful weapons historically， morally， and philosophically， the horrific carnage when The good- A detailed and comprehensive history of how the first atomic bombs were developed， including all the scientific discoveries that led up to it， the scientists involved， the research work， the engineering work， the political work， what the work looked like in each country （including how close Germany and Japan came to developing their own atomic bombs）， the role of the bomb in the war， the role of such powerful weapons historically， morally， and philosophically， the horrific carnage when the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki， and much more。- It's a well-written book。 Covering such a broad range of topics—science， politics， biographies， military history， etc—without confusing or losing the reader is no easy task。 - This book does a good job of giving you a sense of wonder and appreciation for such a project: the incredible scientific discoveries it took， the remarkable engineering to get it working， the ethical and moral dilemmas， and so on。 It's jaw-dropping， world-changing stuff。The not so good- It's a very， very long book。 Although the majority is well written and interesting， some parts are weaker than others， and occasionally， it can be a slog to get through it。 。。。more

Tony ，

Gifted to me by Paul a few years ago， finally got around to reading it。 Actually used both formats of audio book and printed volume。 Extremely detailed in every respect， from the historical timeline to the personal lives of every scientist and professional， to the science itself。 This book is extraordinary in how it illuminates so much more than the title suggests。 There certainly are portions of this tome that I found less compelling than others， but never once did I feel it lagged or became st Gifted to me by Paul a few years ago， finally got around to reading it。 Actually used both formats of audio book and printed volume。 Extremely detailed in every respect， from the historical timeline to the personal lives of every scientist and professional， to the science itself。 This book is extraordinary in how it illuminates so much more than the title suggests。 There certainly are portions of this tome that I found less compelling than others， but never once did I feel it lagged or became stale。 Truly loved it。 。。。more

Joseph M ，

absolutely amazing book on the history of atomic science and it’s affects on the outcome of WW2。 950 pages but well worth it！

Cristobal ，

A fascinating history of how the giants of physics and chemistry came together to create the atomic era， unleashing both an era of boundless potential development as well as of unprecedented potential cataclysm。 The ability of man to unleash the power of the atom is one of the truest swords of Damocles humanity has faced。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Making of the Atomic Bomb

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Making of the Atomic Bomb&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Making of the Atomic Bomb&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0