Martin J. Sherwin spent much of his long and illustrious career researching the book that became American Prometheus, originally published in 2005. For twenty years, Sherwin studied and outlined American Prometheus, a biography about divisive American psychiatrist J. Robert Oppenheimer, before turning over the book to Kia Bird, who turned Sherwin's research and outline into a readable book.
American Prometheus focuses primarily on Oppenheimer's role in running the Manhattan Project, which was tasked with creating the world's first atomic bomb during World War II. Bird and Sherwin's book explores Oppenheimer and his team's challenges in creating, testing, and ultimately using the bomb. However, the book also recounts Oppenheimer's early life, his life's ambitions, his relationships, and his later life, which largely was focused on speaking out against nuclear weapons, which resulted in his security clearance being revoked by the government.
When it was published, American Prometheus received critical acclaim. In 2006, the book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. Kirkus Reviews gave the book a glowing review. They told readers to "get" the book and called it "A swiftly moving narrative full of morality tales and juicy gossip. One of the best scientific biographies to appear in recent years." The New York Times felt similarly, calling American Prometheus "a work of voluminous scholarship and lucid insight, unifying its multifaceted portrait [of Oppenheimer]."
Further reflecting the popularity of Bird and Sherwin's book, acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan will adapt American Prometheus into a film. Entitled Oppenheimer, the film will be released in July 2023 and boasts a large and accomplished cast, including Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Cillian Murphy.
