Researched in exhaustive depth, Bird and Sherwin trace the life, motivations and mystery of one of the true sphinxes of American life (rivalled perhaps only by Thomas Jefferson), J. Robert Oppenheimer.

To capture the scope and breadth and Protean nature of this man would daunt all but the most sedulous and dedicated researchers. But in this carefully-researched biography, Bird and Sherwin tame the untameable mess of anecdote, hearsay, and testimony to give us a picture of this most perplexing, and most thoroughly American, man.

It’s now a trope that’s become near-universal as we’ve seen as geek culture move into the mainstream: “zombie stories aren’t about the supernatural; zombie stories are about humanity and how it works (or fails to work) when being confronted by the unbeatable, supernatural, and unstoppable.” I’ve stayed largely away from much of the nű-zombie media e.g. The Walking Dead, but when my friend Mike recommended this book I decided to take it for a spin. Based on the strength of this offering I was further inclined to read Whitehead’s other work, the widely acclaimed “The Underground Railroad.”

In the story, “Mark Spitz” is part of a team of “cleaners.” Amidst a resurgent humanity, cleaners are combing Manhattan block-by-block to make the island safe for the living again. To return it would be a symbol that the living had “made it.” As he walks around, Spitz reflects upon his survival after the Event, his loneliness, and his part in the decimated society that persists. There are scenes of biting undead and their disposal, as the genre demands, but the greatest part of the book is spent in Spitz’s headspace.