A gripping narrative of the love and betrayal of J. Robert
Oppenheimer, told through the lives of three unique women.
Set against a dramatic backdrop of war, spies, and nuclear bombs, An
Atomic Love Story unveils a vivid new view of a tumultuous era and one
of its most important figures. In the early decades of the 20th century,
three highly ambitious women found their way to the West Coast, where
each was destined to collide with the young Oppenheimer, the enigmatic
physicist whose work in creating the atomic bomb would forever impact
modern history. His first and most intense love was for Jean Tatlock,
though he married the tempestuous Kitty Harrison--both were members of
the Communist Party--and was rumored to have had a scandalous affair
with the brilliant Ruth Sherman Tolman, ten years his senior and the
wife of another celebrated physicist. Although each were connected
through their relationship to Oppenheimer, their experiences reflect
important changes in the lives of American women in the 20th century:
the conflict between career and marriage; the need for a woman to define
herself independently; experimentation with sexuality; and the growth of
career opportunities.
Beautifully written and superbly researched through a rich collection of
firsthand accounts, this intimate portrait shares the tragedies,
betrayals, and romances of an alluring man and three bold women,
revealing how they pushed to the very forefront of social and cultural
changes in a fascinating, volatile era.
