If You Like ‘Oppenheimer’ Then Add These To Your TBR
If you know Christopher Nolan’s work, then you know he is someone that likes to take a look inside the mind of his characters. He creates complex moral or ethical dilemmas without any concrete answers but instead focuses on the thought process of his characters. There are always grey areas in his films when it comes to crime, trauma, space, and time.
“Oppenheimer’s story is all impossible questions. Impossible ethical dilemmas, paradox. There are no easy answers in his story. There are just difficult questions, and that’s what makes the story so compelling.”
The creation of the atomic bomb definitely had some lasting effects on the man who created it. J. Robert Oppenheimer. The book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin explores the nature of his decision. The only filmmaker that could truly capture the internal struggle of Oppenheimer is Nolan.
J. Robert Oppenheimer was a brilliant, charismatic physicist who led the effort to capture the fire of the sun for his country in times of war. Immediately after Hiroshima, he became the most famous scientist of his generation- one of the iconic figures of the twentieth century, the embodiment of modern man confronting the consequences of scientific progress.
He is the “father of the atomic bomb”.
If you’re interested in watching Oppenheimer and have read American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin then the books on this list will take you into the minds of some interesting people.
Here are the five books we recommend!
At first, all one noticed how gifted Bobby Fischer was. Possessing a 181 I.Q. and remarkable powers of concentration, Bobby memorized hundreds of chess books in several languages, and he was only 13 when he became the youngest chess master in U.S. history. But his strange behaviour started early. Acclaimed biographer Frank Brady met Fischer when the prodigy was only 10 and shared with him some of his most dramatic triumphs. He was the only person who could write this book, which has much to say about the nature of American celebrity and the distorting effects of fame.
The story of Chernobyl is more complex, more human, and more terrifying than the Soviet myth. Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of radiation poisoning, for a dangerous technology slipping its leash, for ecological fragility, and for what can happen when a dishonest and careless state endangers not only its own citizens but all of humanity.
When twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan woke up alone in a hospital room, strapped to her bed and unable to move or speak, she had no memory of how she’d gotten there. Days earlier, she had been on the threshold of a new, adult life: at the beginning of her first serious relationship and a promising career at a major New York newspaper. Now she was labelled violent, psychotic, and a flight risk. What happened?
Her name is Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her enslaved ancestors yet her cells — taken without her knowledge — became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping.
Through a life of passion and struggle, Malcolm X became one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. In this riveting account, he tells of his journey from a prison cell to Mecca, describing his transition from hoodlum to Muslim minister. Here, the man who called himself “the angriest Black man in America” relates how his conversion to true Islam helped him confront his rage and recognize the brotherhood of all mankind.
Have you read any of the books listed above? If you have, let us know which one is your favourite! If you have any recommendations drop them in the comments below.
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