Real-life inspiration behind the Christopher Nolan-directed historical event film "Oppenheimer".

Sometimes genius can be a curse. Robert Oppenheimer rose to become one of the most eminent physicists of his time. Few could match his exceptional intelligence and prodigious scientific intuition. This extraordinary skill led him to create the ultimate invention, with the power to annihilate the planet: the atomic bomb. How can we interpret a gift that leads to universal destruction? What significance can be attached to a quest for knowledge that leads to the extinction of life itself? No man has ever been so closely confronted with such a dilemma.

In this exciting new biography, David STERLING explores the life of the father of the atomic bomb. He examines every dimension of his life, both personal and professional, to trace a singular destiny that embodies the entire history of the 20th century: the horrors of war and the paranoia of the McCarthy era, the unquenchable thirst for progress and the frantic race to the precipice.

This book is by no means limited to an expert audience. It is for everyone, and combines historical rigor with psychological subtlety, combining investigative quality with a pace worthy of a great novel.