American Prometheus is the gripping biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the enigmatic physicist who became known as the father of the atomic bomb. Co-authored by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, this comprehensive work delves into Oppenheimer's complex life and character, exploring his significant contributions to science, his leadership of the Manhattan Project, and the subsequent struggles he faced during the Red Scare.
Oppenheimer's story is not just about scientific triumph but also about tragedy, as the very weapon he helped create brought about profound ethical questions and fears about the future of humanity. The biography captures the essence of a man who was both a brilliant scientist and a person of conflicting emotions and loyalties, providing insight into the human side of the scientific endeavors that reshaped the world.
Gifted with a brilliant mind that has made a deep impression on the elders of his Palestinian village, Ahmed Hamid is nevertheless tormented by his inability to save his friends and family. Living under occupation, the inhabitants of the village harbor a constant fear of losing their homes, jobs, belongings – and each other.
On Ahmed’s twelfth birthday, that fear becomes a reality. With his father now imprisoned, his family’s home and possessions confiscated, and his siblings quickly succumbing to hatred in the face of conflict, Ahmed embarks on a journey to liberate his loved ones from their hardship, using his prodigious intellect. In so doing, he begins to reclaim a love for others that had been lost over the course of a childhood rife with violence, and discovers new hope for the future.
This is a story of courage and perseverance, reminiscent of The Kite Runner and One Thousand Splendid Suns. An uplifting read that conveys a message of optimism and hope.
On the 10th anniversary of his death, brilliant astrophysicist and Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Sagan offers a prescient exploration of the relationship between religion and science and his personal search for God.
Carl Sagan, considered one of the greatest scientific minds of our time, had a remarkable ability to explain science in terms easily understandable to the layman. In bestselling books such as Cosmos, The Dragons of Eden, and The Demon-Haunted World, he won a Pulitzer Prize and placed himself firmly next to Isaac Asimov, Stephen Jay Gould, and Oliver Sachs as one of the most important communicators of science.
In December 2006, Ann Druyan, his widow and longtime collaborator, marked the occasion by releasing Sagan's famous "Gifford Lectures in Natural Theology," The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God. The opportunity to give the Gifford Lectures is an honor reserved for the most distinguished scientists and philosophers of our civilization. In 1985, on the grand occasion of the centennial of the lectureship, Carl Sagan was invited to give them. He took the opportunity to set down in detail his thoughts on the relationship between religion and science and to describe his own personal search to understand the nature of the sacred in the vastness of the cosmos.
The Varieties of Scientific Experience, edited, updated, and with an introduction by Ann Druyan, is like eavesdropping on a delightfully intimate conversation with the late great astronomer and astrophysicist. In his charmingly down-to-earth voice, Sagan discusses his views on topics ranging from manic depression and the possibly chemical nature of transcendence to creationism and so-called intelligent design to the likelihood of intelligent life on other planets to the likelihood of nuclear annihilation of our own, and a new concept of science as "informed worship."
Exhibiting a breadth of intellect nothing short of astounding, he illuminates his explanations with examples from cosmology, physics, philosophy, literature, psychology, cultural anthropology, mythology, theology, and more. Sagan's humorous, wise, and at times stunningly prophetic observations on some of the greatest mysteries of the cosmos have the invigorating effect of stimulating the intellect, exciting the imagination, and reawakening us to the grandeur of life in the cosmos.
The Portable Nietzsche is a fascinating collection of Friedrich Nietzsche's seminal works that have captivated readers worldwide since the publication of his first book over a century ago. Walter Kaufmann, a leading authority on Nietzsche, notes in his introduction that "few writers in any age were so full of ideas," and Nietzsche is no exception.
This volume includes Kaufmann's definitive translations of the complete and unabridged texts of Nietzsche's four major works: Twilight of the Idols, The Antichrist, Nietzsche Contra Wagner, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra. In addition, Kaufmann brings together selections from Nietzsche's other books, notes, and letters to provide a comprehensive picture of Nietzsche's development, versatility, and inexhaustibility.
Nietzsche's works offer a profound exploration of human existence, truth, and morality, making this collection a must-read for anyone interested in philosophy and literature. "In this volume, one may very conveniently have a rich review of one of the most sensitive, passionate, and misunderstood writers in Western, or any, literature."