109 East Palace

Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of Los Alamos

By: Jennet Conant

Narrated by: Anne Twomey

They were told as little as possible. Their orders were to go to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and report for work at a classified Manhattan Project site, a location so covert it was known to them only by the mysterious address: 109 East Palace.

They were greeted by Dorothy McKibbin, an attractive widow who was the least likely person imaginable to run a front for a clandestine defense laboratory. They stepped through her threshold into a parallel universe, the desert hideaway where Robert Oppenheimer and a team of world-famous scientists raced to build the first atomic bomb before Germany and bring World War II to an end.

Despite all the obstacles, Oppie managed to forge a vibrant community at Los Alamos through the sheer force of his personality. Dorothy devoted herself to taking care of him and his crew, and supported him through the terrifying preparations for the test explosion at Trinity and the harrowing aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In this deeply moving account, Conant reveals an enigmatic man who served his country at tremendous personal cost and whose singular achievement, and subsequent undoing, is at the root of our present nuclear predicament.

©2005 Jennet Conant (P)2005 Simon & Schuster Inc. AUDIOWORKS in an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Conant brings to life the colorful, eccentric town of thousands that sprang up on a New Mexico mesa and achieved the unthinkable." (Publishers Weekly)

Enjoyed the history.....

What made the experience of listening to 109 East Palace the most enjoyable?

It walked you through the history of the Manhattan Project.

What about Anne Twomey’s performance did you like?

Great detail!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes it was well read and interesting.

Very well written and very informative.

I liked it very much. Would have much preferred that it not be abridged. I like to read the kindle version of a book and have it read to me by the narrator.

Some Interesting Information but Not Well Written

This story gives some interesting information about the Manhattan Project and the Los Alamos nuclear bomb development but it isn't very well written. Too much emphasis is given to Oppenheimer's love life and not enough on what it was like to live in this community and what was involved in creating The Gadget. If you a looking for general information about the Manhattan Project, I think you would want to include this in your reading, just be ready to wade through some junk.

Recommended

Wonderful story and essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Los Alamos. Well read, unfortunate that it is abridged

A story everyone needs to hear

Great book that tells the story behind the nuclear bomb development and the man and woman who insured its success. While I've heard the Oppenheimer story before, it is always disappointing to hear how the political system tries to destroy a person out of sheer jealousy.

Excellent in all respects

Having made numerous trips to Sant Fe over the years, I was eager to unwrap the mystery of Los Alamos. The story from Dorothy’s perspective and the narration were outstanding.

Worth the listen twice

A fascinating account of the humanity behind one of the greatest and scariest events in all of science. Well written and announced.

The story of the scientist, Oppenheimer, who saved America bit was censored for it.

The details through Dorothy's perspective humanized the story of this complex scientist. she wad one of the many heroes who brought an end to WWII.

Informative and moving

My father was in the Special Engineer Detachment but shared little of his personal experiences in Los Alamos, so my brother and I finally visited the Manhattan project museum. Such an amazing compilation of materials and history gave us a context we hadn’t had before. We bought this book there and found a much better understanding of what it was like there during those formative years. The details about each of the scientists was riveting and the personal emotional tolls on each was telling. How shallow we are to turn heroes into villains

BRILLIANT MINDS

Where does 109 East Palace rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5. I am now on a Manhattan project binge.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I visited Sante Fe, saw 109 E Palace and stayed at the La Fonda before I heard the book. I couldn't get enough. I knew next to nothing about the Manhattan Project and nothing at all about the men involved. This moving little book is a great place to start if you have any interest in the MP. I can imagine the tzunami of men coming and going from that town 50 or 60 years ago. This is a great book.