The Pope of Physics: Enrico Fermi and the Birth of the Atomic Age

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice

Named a Best Book of the Year by Bloomberg (Chosen by Philip Tetlock), Booklist’s Top 10 Science Books of the Year, and Shortlisted for Physics World’s Book of the Year

A Major Biography of the Nobel Prize–Winning Physicist, Enrico Fermi, a Leading Architect of the Atomic Age

Enrico Fermi is unquestionably among the greats of the world’s physicists, the most famous Italian scientist since Galilo. Called “the Pope” by his peers, he was regarded as infallible in his instincts and research. His discoveries changed our world; they led to weapons of mass destruction and conversely to life-saving medical interventions. This unassuming man struggled with issues relevant today, such as the threat of nuclear annihilation and the relationship of science to politics. Fleeing Fascism and anti-Semitism, Fermi became a leading figure in America’s most secret project: building the atomic bomb. An examination of the human dramas that touched Fermi’s life as well as a thrilling history of scientific innovation in the twentieth century, this is the comprehensive biography that Fermi deserves.