The Making of the Atomic Bomb,   ISBN:9780684813783

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"The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes is one of the most important books of the 20th Century, and comparable as non-fiction to "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William L. Shirer.

The ultimate understanding of the early 20th Century, that Chemistry was ultimately an Electrical phenomenon, gave rise to a profound understanding of physical matter.

The three broad criteria of science at the time were:

(a) PLAUSIBILITY

(b) SCIENTIFIC VALUE

(c) ORIGINALITY

The book details the research of Ernest Rutherford and Niels Bohr into a question "old as Aristotle" which was that of VITALISM versus MECHANISM. It involved an
ongoing debate between philosophical and religious assumptives as to whether or not the Universe exhibited a "purpose" (the question of Teleology), or whether or not the Universe
operates according to mere Chance and automatic function. [The debate still rages, by the way.]



(to be continued)

Customer Rating: 

The Review Title sums it up best.

Generally, I am not a fan of non-fiction histories. I almost always find this type of work, well... boring.
My review of Colonial Williamsburg: "Oh look! It's another person making a barrel".

Yet this book was engaging throughout. It was long, it might have drifted for very minor portions, but the overall result was 5 stars.

Customer Rating: 

As many have said, the amount of research that went into this book, and the resultant detail, was phenomenal.

I'm glad I bought and read the book. It gave me insights and understanding that I didn't have before hand, related to the scientific, social, and political elements of development of the bomb. At times it was so engaging, I had trouble putting it down.

I also enjoyed reading about the early history of atomic/nuclear research with Szilard, Rutherford, et. al. I had no idea beforehand of the massive undertaking needed to produce a workable bomb, and all the associated political problems.

Having said that, it was TOO MUCH WORK to read this book, for two main reasons:

1) Way too much detail on too many levels. For example, it seems like each time a new character was introduced there was anywhere from one to twenty pages background on this person, their family, their political and scientific past, etc. Kudos to the author for doing all this research but the net effect is that the central story kept losing steam each time we'd take one of these long detours into character building. I eventually found myself skipping dozens of pages at a time, trying to get back on track with the main topic. A good book must not stray too far from the main story or the average reader simply loses interest.

2) I found the sentence structure and language used to often be confusing. I had to re-read many sentences to understand what was being said. I'm not referring to the scientific sentences, which one might expect to be challenging for a non-scientist, but to the general prose. A lot of it was fine, but I would say at least once every few pages I was stumped and there a few times that after re-reading the sentence I just didn't get what the author was trying to communicate to me.

Overall, I give the book a positive review because of its unprecedented content and scope, but be aware of what you are buying: a phone book of endless details, with a very interesting central story woven somewhere in between those pages.

Customer Rating: 

March 29, 2009
Ardsley, PA

THE MAKING OF THE ATOMIC BOMB provides a valuable insight into the developments within physics and chemistry which directly lead to the Manhattan Project with its parallel development of the first fission bombs and their use against Imperial Japan.

In 790 pages, 19 chapters and three parts Richard Rhodes covers every imaginable aspect of the scientific discoveries which brought us into the Atomic Age. Along with the discussions of the developments in Physics and Chemistry we are introduced to the various scientists and laboratories, the major world events and the political decisions that accompanied these developments.

Anyone with more than an introductory class in Physics in college will recognize all of the major scientists and much of the physics and chemistry discussed. Highlighted figures include Ernest Rutherford, Marie Curie, Niels Bohr, Enrico Fermi, Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner, Leo Szilard, Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, General Leslie Groves, Churchill, FDR, Truman and countless others.

This encyclopedic book weaves the story of the development of atomic chemistry and physics with the accompanying strands of world developments. These include the founding of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin, Rutherford's work at various universities in England and Canada, WWI, the development of theoretical physics in the USA, the rise of Nazism and its accompanying flight of Jewish Physicists to the west, the parallel bomb programs of Germany, Japan, the UK and Russia and the incredible industrial and engineering efforts within the USA orchestrated by Leslie Groves.

This is a very interesting book, but is not an easily read book. It should be read carefully and you should take notes if you intend to follow the converging story lines of scientific, interpersonal, political and industrial developments. I actually read most of it twice correcting and adding to my notes as I went. Beyond the discussion of bomb development, there are a few items that really struck me:

1. An atomic bomb was inevitable. There were parallel programs underway in all the major combatants of WWII. Once the war ended, most would have overcome the industrial obstacles and built fission weapons.
2. General Leslie Groves, whatever his personal peccadilloes alluded to in the book, was an organizational genius. It is beyond belief that he oversaw the acquisitions and developments necessary to bring about the factories necessary to produce the Plutonium and Uranium bombs in the time he did.
3. Franklin Roosevelt was a dictator. This to me is the most frightening aspect of this whole book. Regardless of whether he was a benevolent dictator, or not, the realization that the USA elected and accepted this is disheartening. In 800 pages there aren't three mentions of Congress, there were no checks and balances, there was no oversight of the billions spent on the Manhattan Project; "Make it happen, FDR," seemed all that was needed. When Harry Truman assumed the presidency it was days before his Secretary of War even briefed him on the bomb, he knew nothing of its existence. Please understand that he was not only the VP, but also had been a Senator, yet was completely in the dark about the Manhattan Project.

The author carries through the book this idea that scientists are morally superior to everyone else. Without once explaining how these individuals attain that superiority, time and time again he bemoans the fact that Churchill and Truman wouldn't listen to Bohr , Szilard and Oppenheimer. I trust the leadership of Winston Churchill and Truman in the strategic realm as I do Bohr and Oppie in the theoretical physical world.

Finally, this book is worth 5 stars, but the epilogue is a one star groaner. By 1989 the epilogue is completely irrelevant. Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II understood the inhumanity of the USSR far better than Bohr, Oppenheimer or Richard Rhodes. Fission and Thermonuclear weapons have not proven to be the plague that the author alludes. Western Civilization, rather, carries within its fabric a far more insidious plague which took no Manhattan Project to develop and has been freely, even cheerfully, employed not only to kill probably 100 million but also to destroy whole cultures. That plague is ABORTION. It has torn the fabric of Europe more surely than two world wars and has brought most European societies, both democratic and totalitarian, within sight of extinction.

Abortion, not atomic weapons, reveals the true morality of this book's much heralded "Republic of Science."

Customer Rating: 

This book details from the beginning of radiation physics from the beginning of the 20th century till the massive efforts by scientists and the US government to build the first nuclear bomb. However, this is not just a simple chronicle of the events. The author has done extensive and detailed research. He excels in a number of areas. Firstly, the discussion on physics is far beyond the popular science level, and you can learn a lot about the process of discovery, the excitement in developing the new physics and scientific collaboration. The motivated reader can learn new physical insights. Secondly, the vivid depiction of the various characters is invaluable. They range from the towering figures of Bohr, Fermi and later Oppenheimer, to the lesser known but no less important ones in the development of the bomb, the "Hungarian Jews" such as Szillard, Edward Teller and John von Neumann. Lastly, Rhodes captured the political debates and the moral struggles of the characters particularly well. Especially, the debate between Teller and Oppenheimer were an invaluable read. Tragically, this debate is a precursor to what is to happen to Oppenheimer post the war. However, one can tell the debate was not simply a case of persecution during the building of the first bomb. Richard Rhodes should serve as a benchmark of scientific writing for the masses. Even for readers who are not interested in science, this is a worthwhile read because the geopolitical impact of the bomb was so big that it engendered 60 years of relative world peace (no major worldwide or continental conventional wars). Highly recommended.