The San Francisco Nexus in World War II: Freedoms Found, Liberties Lost, and the Atomic Bomb

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

In The San Francisco Nexus in World War II: Freedoms Found, Liberties Lost, and the Atomic Bomb, Meza tells the story of important events in the San Francisco Bay Area that have consequences still felt to date. He traces the invention of the atomic bomb, from a speculative design for a nuclear weapon sketched on a chalkboard at Berkeley by theoretical physicist Robert Oppenheimer and helped made real by Big Science that was pioneered by his friend and colleague, experimental physicist Ernest Lawrence. During this time, Black Americans migrated to San Francisco to escape the Jim Crow South, finding new freedoms, good jobs, and a leader in a singer-turned-welder named Joseph James. Meza shows how James fought for and won an end to segregation in his union, taking a large step toward the civil rights movement. At the same time, Japanese Americans were forced from their homes by a tragically misguided presidential executive order, upheld by the US Supreme Court, illustrating the fragility of liberty in America. These events continue to shape the world today.

Reviews

Following in the best tradition of famed California historian Kenneth Star, The San Francisco Nexus in World War II by Philip E. Meza takes the reader on a kaleidoscopic tour of the city by the Bay at a crucial moment in world history. From the pioneering work in splitting the atom on the campus of UC Berkeley to the jazz filled streets of the Fillmore district, Meza's work connects the threads of war, prejudice, science, and the personal dramas of figures ranging from J. Robert Oppenheimer to a young John F. Kennedy in a gripping historical narrative of the San Francisco Bay Area and its connection to a larger world at the dawn of the atomic age. -- Sean Malloy, University of California, Merced
Philip E. Mezas beautifully written The San Francisco Nexus in World War II takes a complex story and transforms it into a compelling narrative. Meza also makes a number of important contributions to several areas of scholarly inquiry: the history of science, the development of the atomic bomb, the history of the San Francisco Bay Area during World War II, California history, and even the history of the University of California at Berkeley. -- Christopher D. O'Sullivan, University of San Francisco

Author Bio

Philip E. Meza is strategy consultant and researcher researcher whose books have been translated into multiple languages and used in universities around the world.