Sakharov: A Biography

by Richard Lourie

Release Date: March, 2002

Edition: Hardcover

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Absolutely First-Rate

This is a superb book that takes the reader through all of the major episodes in Sakharov's life while adding enough personal details (i.e., why Sakharov fried his salad) to make the man human. Sakharov was one of the key figures of the last half of the twentieth century and this book may stand as the authoriative work on the man both as a physicist and as a dissident. The book is surprisingly easy to read and is an excellent introduction to the Soviet system under Brezhnev for the novice. The book also goes over some of Sakharov's main writings, which in retrospect seem a bit off the wall.

Excellent book

Sakharov was the father of the Russian atomic program; he was Oppenheimer, Teller, and Feynman, all rolled into one. The book traces Russia from before his birth to his death, as it rises against Germany and sinks into the depths of Stalin's Terror and Kuruschev's reign. Sakharov, given immense importance under Stalin and Kuruschev, finds himself at odd with what he created. He wants so much to redeem himself that he devotes the remaining of his life to the Russian resistance. And he suffers for this - all the perks and medals he earned for his work on Russia's atomic program are summarily taken back by the state. He is exiled to Gorky and is spied on by KGB. His memoirs are stolen on two occassions by the KGB; depressed, almost suicidal, he rewrites them from memory. This was an excellent look into a very interesting country in the context of an equally interesting protagonist. It is said that mathematicians (and probably theoritical physicists) have a short career; their inventions and discoveries are made when they are young, and they whittle away in their middle- and old ages. Could be that Sakharov, having contributed to many such inventions and discoveries, figured that joining the resistance is a far better legacy. Being considered the father of the atomic program of a country is a big burden to bear; I am reminded of Oppenheimer's words when he witnessed what he had created. All he could think about was Lord Krishna's words in the Bhagavad Gita: "I am death, shatterer of worlds, annhilating all things." I would recommend this book for a great insight into Russia through the eyes of one of its best known (and loved) citizens.