As the title says, I recently read American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and absolutely loved it, particularly the portion that takes place after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, detailing Oppenheimer’s government career in Washington DC and his disastrous 1954 security hearing.
I’m looking for other nonfiction history books, American or anywhere else, about either politics or the courtroom/legal system, preferably both. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!!
by RobbieRotten55
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The Deviant’s War by Eric Cervini takes a look at Frank Kameny, who fought the US government to advance gay rights and cultural acceptance. Much of his work were legal battles to restore/preserve security clearances for gay folks in federal jobs. I really think it complements American Prometheus well. It paints quite a wide picture of the Red Scare / Lavender Scare era.
Also worth mentioning (although not as political/legal), if you’re interested in more characters from the Princeton / Manhattan Project crowd, The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut centers on John von Neumann. It’s fiction based on fact, so it is embellished, but still basically history as it happened.