And by that I mean the Book of the Day is Life in Twilight: The Final Years of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I saw Twilight this weekend, and my favorite part: there’s a good Radiohead song during the credits.
Not that I have anything against vampire stories (watch True Blood on HBO and read the Sookie Stackhouse books!), but I have my issues with Edward and company (except Alice!). What does this have to do with Oppenheimer? Nothing, except maybe that, like a vampire, if Oppenheimer were to walk outside in daylight during his final years, he’d like burst into flames (which is what real vampires should do). At least for awhile. See, McCarthy era politics led to the influential scientist to have his security clearance revoked, and spent about a decade in hearings, disgrace, and disrespect. It wasn’t until years later that John Kennedy, as president, gave Oppenheimer a medal and an “attaboy” to thank him for his contributions to science.
But its more complicated than all that. There’s the story of a man and his family struggling through the worst of times locked away underneath the political what-have-you, and this book highlights that. And, its better than Twilight.
