“The Greatest Scientific Gamble tells the gripping story of how science, politics, and human ambition collided in the twentieth century’s most consequential contest. Exploring fascinating details such as Oppenheimer’s case of chicken pox and CBS bulletins from the front lines, Michael Joseloff tells a riveting story of impossible odds, rival geniuses, and the high-stakes gamble that changed the world forever.” —Cynthia C. Kelly, president of the Atomic Heritage Foundation
“The Greatest Scientific Gamble is a story we all know the ending to—yet it unfolds with the urgency of a thriller. With meticulous research and vivid storytelling, Michael Joseloff brings fresh perspective to the race between Nazi Germany and the United States to build the bomb. At its core, this is a story of how bold political leadership placed extraordinary trust in science—and backed it with unprecedented investment. That choice helped end a world war and holds powerful lessons for our own time. A gripping, essential account of the moment science changed the world.” —Miles O’Brien, science correspondent for PBS News Hour
“If you were captivated by the Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer, enthralled by the Tony-winning play Copenhagen, and moved by the modern opera Doctor Atomic, then prepare to be utterly engrossed. In The Greatest Scientific Gamble storyteller and journalist Michael Joseloff masterfully weaves a complex historical tapestry that recounts the top-secret missions to build the atomic bomb. This isn’t just a history book; it’s a pulse-pounding tale of brilliant innovation, clashing personalities, and the high-stakes decisions that ended World War II.” —Brian Schwartz, former MIT physics faculty and emeritus professor of physics at the Graduate Center and Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
“The Greatest Scientific Gamble reads like a ripped from the headlines detective story of how the atom bomb and the science that led to it was developed from E=MC2 to the Trinity Site. In his writerly hands, Joseloff makes real the compelling characters and scientists on both sides of the Atlantic and their race to produce an atom bomb. From Robert Oppenheimer to Werner Heisenberg to Enrico Fermi and Leslie Groves, these people all come to life while at the same time, Joseloff also makes comprehensible the complicated science and physics which brought us the nuclear age in which we all still live.” —Timothy Smith, Executive Producer, American Issues Initiative
