David C. Cassidy's celebrated biography is more than the life story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant physicist who served as scientific director for the Manhattan Project. It also tells the hidden story of the political and social forces that shaped the world in the 20th century, when the rise of American science contributed mightily to the country's emergence as a dominant power in world affairs. Cassidy explores that strong relationship in the captivating story of the rise and fall of one of America's greatest scientists. As head of the Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer led the country's successful effort to build the first atom bomb during World War II. In 1954 the government-with the United States embroiled in the Cold War-stripped him of his security clearance amid allegations that he consorted with communists. In rich detail Cassidy places this personal story of public disgrace within the larger narrative of the rise of science in America.