109 East Palace

Exquisite. This is the human side of the Manhattan Project: the personalities of those who made it happen, the relationships, sacrifices, conflicts, logistics, and connections. Conant is by no means objective: she shows great warmth toward the heroes—McKibbin, Oppenheimer (J. Robert), Groves—and contempt for the villains—Teller, Oppenheimer (Kitty), and, later, McCarthy and Strauss. She seems to believe that women are people (!), so she frequently includes stories of professionals and wives and WACs and others. All of this adds up to a lovely and sensitive work.

If you want to read only one book on this part of history, and you care more about human elements than technical/scientific aspects, this is probably the book you want. And for those of us on the Hill, who already know most of the basics, this should be required reading.