Manhattan Project: The Birth of the Atomic Bomb in the Words of Its Creators, Eyewitnesses and Historians. Hardcover – September 17, 2007

I have ties to the MP, so this sounded interesting. And it is. It jumps around in time a lot, which can get annoying, but overall I liked it.Except for the graphic parts about the effects of the bombs on people. That was horrid and grim. I know that this is what happened, but I don't like reading it any more than I like reading about what went on in Nazi concentration camps. So I mention this as a warning. You can always skip over that chapter. Or maybe you have a stronger stomach than I have.Anyway, I followed this up by reading The Girls of Atomic City, and it was a good companion book.But this book about the Manhattan Project uses a lot of original documents, which always makes history interesting.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I ordered this book. I had previously read some of the personal writings of a few of the major players in the Manhattan Project, and found some of the driest reading on the planet.This book was a pleasant surprise, and I enjoyed most of it. There were some very different views on the atomic bomb and its development, and most of them were very interesting, and I almost hate to admit it, amusing.---THE GOOD POINTS * There is an excellent selection and variety of story tellers, This may be the only book that includes the writings of Nobel Prize winners, senior political leaders, army grunts, follow-along wives, normal civilians just trying to survive, and a few other characters. * The stories are, for the most part, unvarnished and a bit raw. You can get a feel of the actual emotions behind some of the major players, and of the conflicts that boiled just below (usually) the surface. Of particular interest is the relation between General Groves, in charge of security and the actual operations of the Manhattan Project, and Robert Oppenheimer, in charge of the development. They were probably as different as two people could be, and their relationship should have degenerated into backstabbing and fist fights. Instead they got along pretty well, each complementing -and in some cases feeding- the other's limitations.* Several of the stories border on the absurd and humerous. One junior scientist tells of his assigned duty to "guard" the first atomic bomb as it sat in its tower the night before the test. Our hero is unarmed, sitting 100 feet in the air on a folding chair, and spends the night wondering if the lighting storm could in any way trigger the 20 kiloton bomb he is sitting next to. Hollywood couldn't write something that crazy.* The viewpoints of Japanese civilians and leaders are represented. Some of these seem a little self-serving, some will make you feel sick.* The thoughts of American servicemen who missed out on the opportunity for a high-casualty invasion of Japan are quite enlightening.---THE NOT SO GOOD POINTS---* Some of the material could have been skipped. I had no time for excerpts from fictionalized stories based on the events at Los Alamos. Who knows what part of them are fact and fiction....and why bother. There is no shortage of non-fiction memoirs.* The last two sections of the book are devoted to the reactions after the bomb was dropped, and the history of atomic weapons after 1945. Most of these writings are from senior politicians and political commentators of one sort or another. Coming after the sharp-edged accounts of US servicemen and bomb observers, these accounts come across as pompous, bloated, overly complicated opinions by people who are very impressed with themselves. General Groves and Robert Oppenheimer would have fired all of them in a nanosecond.* I have read quite a bit of material on this subject, so I am not a good judge of how well this book would be received by anyone unfamiliar with the subject. I suspect some of the stories are rimeless and will resonate with anyone, while others require at least a passing knowledge of the Manhattan Project and its technology to be appreciated. Much of the material is presented with limited preamble or explanation.---SUMMARY---I enjoyed the book, and was glad I read it. Most of the tales are interesting, well-written, and captivating. A small percentage seemed overly bloated and wordy, and I would have just as soon skipped over them.

I read this book because I thought Richard Rhodes’ "The Making of the Atomic Bomb” was an extraordinary book, and the fact that he wrote the introduction to this book was a good recommendation. But I didn’t expect much. In fact, Cynthia C. Kelly has done an excellent job. The great deal of careful thought has gone into this book, which is composed of a large number of short extracts, mostly one or two pages in length, from a very broad selection of sources, on a wide variety of aspects of the Manhattan Project. The resulting collection is quite fascinating. Highly recommended.

The first half of the book was exceptionally well written, informative and eye opening considering the nature of the heretofore unknown world of atomic energy. I was truly taken back by the emerging realization that no one really knew what the outcome would be when we first caused a nuclear pile to go critical. Would it, as some prominent scientist surmised, ignite the atmosphere in a total global halocaust or would Trinity Site become an international fizzle. No one actually knew. I was not overly impressed with the second half compilation of letters, transcripts and speech notes submitted prior to, during and after the Manhatten Project itself. They were redundant and for the most rather mundane and even boring. Stick with the excitement of the narrative about the project itself and close the book when it enters the world of letters and notes.

This book takes you from the aha moment of realization that an atom can be split to the post-atomic era and the fears that now surround all of humanity. It is all written in the words of those who were hands-on in the search for nuclear fission capability as well as the experiences of those who built the infrastructure and process facilities for nuclear weapons.As a child born in the 1950s who has always lived under the shadow of nuclear annihilation, this book brings clarity to every question about why, how and what-if that has surrounded this supernatural science.Personalities are revealed, tension is expressed due to the urgency of the effort and the underlying secrecy that surrounded this effort bring new questions into your mind. It's a great book. Give it your time!

The Manhattan Project is a wonderful compendium of personal accounts and anecdotes not readily available otherwise. The accounts come from people in all walks of Manhattan Project life. If you are a Manhattan Project buff, as I am, you'll be fascinated by the personal glimpses into the lives of military and civilian participants, their spouses and friends--and not just the famous scientists and military leaders. I have only one caveat: if your interest in the Manhattan Project is new, or you are not already familiar with the historical and scientific details of the Project, this book is not a good place to start--read Richard Rhodes' "The Making of the Atomic Bomb." This book is a collage of little insights into the personal lives of the Project's participants; it is not a detailed, chronological military or scientific history. However, for those steeped in the Manhattan Project, it is a treasure.

This is not what I expected when I purchased the book, but it is an interesting read. Each section is made up from snippets information from different authors, giving their perspective on a topic. For instance, there are a number of people who give their thoughts on the the personality of Oppenheimer, and Groves, and how these very different characters managed to work together so effectively. I really enjoyed the book.

Unfortunately I was expecting a reasonably scientific treatment of this subject, which inevitably has a tremendous technical aspect. The book summary on Amazon's page quotes "This authoritative book provides a complete and vivid history of the project and its legacy". Well, it really does not. It is a very long collection of vaguely interesting and unrelated trivial items, with no real thread. I'm now going to try the Richard Rhodes version, having wasted a lot of time with this waffley book.

Very poor book. You have to know about The Manhattan Project to understand the book contents. It's more like a recvie wof other books!Poor.