Racing for the Bomb

The True Story of General Leslie R. Groves, the Man Behind the Birth of the Atomic Age

By: Robert S. Norris

Narrated by: Peter Johnson

In September 1942, Colonel Leslie R. Groves was given the job of building the atomic bomb. As a career officer in the Army Corps of Engineers, Groves had overseen hundreds of military construction projects, including the Pentagon. Until now, scientists have received the credit for the Manhattan Project's remarkable achievements. And yet, it was Leslie R. Groves who made things happen. It was Groves who drove manufacturers, construction crews, scientists, industrialists, and military and civilian officials to come up with the money, the materials, and the plans to solve thousands of problems and build the bomb in only two years. It was his operation, and in Racing for the Bomb, he emerges as a take-charge, can-do figure who succeeds in the face of formidable odds. Revealed for the first time in Racing for the Bomb, Groves played a crucial and decisive role in the planning, timing, and targeting of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki missions. Norris offers new insights into the complex and controversial questions surrounding the decision to drop the bomb in Japan and Groves's actions during World War II, which had a lasting imprint on the nuclear age and the Cold War that followed. Groves's extensive influence on key institutions of postwar America has been overlooked for too long. In this full-scale biography, which includes archival material and family letters and documents and features several previously unpublished photographs, Norris places Groves at the center of the amazing Manhattan Project story.

©2014 Robert S. Norris (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Well Written & Well Read

The biography was well written and well narrated. I enjoyed the development of the Atomic Bomb from the perspective of General Groves.

Extraordinary!

A child of the 70s India, I knew about the Scientific side of the Manhattan Project and nothing about the Military side other than a few references in Feynman's books etc. This tale was all the more fascinating as a result. Secondly it gave me a view into the American mind of the early 20th century with it's self centered arrogance which of course is still around today.

Nevertheless it is a fascinating tale and well produced. Well worth the price and the time spent in reading it. Highly recommended.

University treatise quality biography

Absolutely fascinating look at a man largely shunned by history with the centerpiece consisting of a thorough discussion of Groves' epic Manhattan District undertaking. Book is thorough in all respects yet not dry. An important and excellent contribution that explains all it actually took to build the bomb and of the man who was uniquely equipped and perfectly suited for the task. Interesting as hell.

loved it

great story I found it very interesting and I got to learn a lot and I would definitely listen to it again

Very well done.

I found this looking for an audible version of "The making of the atomic bomb" by Richard Rhodes, a book I had read many years ago. Since it was not available I gave this a chance and found it very entertaining and informative..