The General and the Genius

Groves and Oppenheimer - The Unlikely Partnership That Built the Atom Bomb

By: James Kunetka

Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner

Two ambitious men. One historic mission. With a blinding flash in the New Mexico desert in the summer of 1945, the world was changed forever. The bomb that ushered in the atomic age was the product of one of history's most improbable partnerships. The General and the Genius reveals how two extraordinary men pulled off the greatest scientific feat of the 20th century. Leslie Richard Groves of the Army Corps of Engineers, who had made his name by building the Pentagon in record time and under budget, was made overlord of the impossibly vast scientific enterprise known as the Manhattan Project. His mission: to beat the Nazis to the atomic bomb. So he turned to the nation's preeminent theoretical physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer - the chain-smoking, martini-quaffing son of wealthy Jewish immigrants, whose background was riddled with communist associations - Groves' opposite in nearly every respect. In their three-year collaboration, the iron-willed general and the visionary scientist led a brilliant team in a secret mountaintop lab and built the fearsome weapons that ended the war but introduced the human race to unimaginable new terrors. And at the heart of this most momentous work of World War II is the story of two extraordinary men - the general and the genius.

©2015 James Kunetka (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Insightful deep dive into hidden history

The story is rich, and complicated, and morally ambiguous. A bit of excess detail, but a very big picture view overall.

Shocking murderous war criminals

Great story. Well told. Incomprehensible evil. To use the bomb as they did. Forever shame.

Great context and detail

Loved the story and the performance. Learned a lot about the details in. The Manhattan project

Surprisingly Good

I’ve always enjoyed books on WW2 but never fully understood the full story of the Manhattan District, while there are certainly other books that go into greater detail (this one focuses primarily on Los Alamos), it was the perfect introduction and the narration performance is very engaging.

Clear and concise

All you need to know about the construction of the A-Bomb and the people who made it.

I really didn’t know that much

I’ve read a lot of history of WW2 but I have to confess I really didn’t know very much about the Manhattan Project. Arguably among the most significant scientific projects of modern time. This book begins slowly much like the project did. As the story is revealed the pace and intensity increases and it becomes a page turner. I learned a lot and I have a much greater appreciation for the challenges that had to be overcome. I have referred to this book in several conversations recently. It’s a good book. Give it a try.

Wonderful recounting of how it all came together.

Contains answers to things I always wanted to know. Accessible to readers of all science and military knowledge and interest. Heartily recommend.

Phenomenal Ride Back in History

This is easily one of the top 10 audiobooks I have listened to on Audible. This incredible work covers a critical time in our history and the author does an amazing job of taking us into the rooms and labs and letters and phone calls that help shape the history of the atomic era. I give this my highest recommendation.

Important story about the development of nuclear weapons

The General and the Genius: Groves and Oppenheimer--The Unlikely Partnership That Built the Atom Bomb, by James Kunetka (2015, 14 hours audiobook). This is a deep dive into the genesis of the Manhattan Project, the work of multiple laboratories supporting the development of atomic weapons with a focus on Los Alamos Labs, the deployment of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the postwar nuclear weapons development and international controls, all seen through the lens of the relationship between and personalities of project head General Leslie Groves and laboratory head Robert Oppenheimer. Well written and a nice complement to the more general The Great Lecture Series audiobook, the similarly titled The General and the Geniuses.

This is 1 of several books

I've read in recent years on this topic. This account represents a more nuanced account of the interpersonal relationships and intricate TEAMWORK involved, not only by Dr. Oppenheimer and General Groves, but each of the members of the various teams.