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Quick answer: If you loved Operation Paperclip, read Richard Rhodes's The Making of the Atomic Bomb and Dark Sun, then Daniel Ellsberg's The Doomsday Machine, then Lesley M.M. Blume's Fallout, and John Carreyrou's Bad Blood and Ronan Farrow's Catch and Kill. All are dark Cold War history.
Annie Jacobsen's Operation Paperclip (2014) tells how the US recruited Nazi scientists. These picks share its investigative tone.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Making of the Atomic Bomb | Richard Rhodes | Adult | readers who want the full story |
| Dark Sun | Richard Rhodes | Adult | readers who finished Rhodes |
| The Doomsday Machine | Daniel Ellsberg | Adult | readers who want inside knowledge |
| Fallout | Lesley M.M. Blume | Adult | readers who like journalism |
| Bad Blood | John Carreyrou | Adult | tech scandals |
| Catch and Kill | Ronan Farrow | Adult | investigative reporting |
| Private Empire | Steve Coll | Adult | ExxonMobil |
| Killing Pablo | Mark Bowden | Adult | manhunt |
| The Great Influenza | John M. Barry | Adult | pandemic history |
| Hiroshima | John Hersey | Adult | readers who want the human cost |
| Sandworm | Andy Greenberg | Adult | cyberwar reporting |
| Killers of the Flower Moon | David Grann | Adult | more Grann |
| The Devil in the White City | Erik Larson | Adult | history plus murder |
| Carrying the Fire | Michael Collins | Adult | Apollo memoir |
| Skunk Works | Ben R. Rich and Leo Janos | Adult | aviation history |
1. The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes
The definitive history of the Manhattan Project, from physics to Hiroshima. Long and rewarding.
Best for: readers who want the full story.
2. Dark Sun by Richard Rhodes
The sequel to The Making of the Atomic Bomb covers the hydrogen bomb and the Soviet side. Detailed and engaging.
Best for: readers who finished Rhodes.
3. The Doomsday Machine by Daniel Ellsberg
Ellsberg, a nuclear war planner turned whistleblower, describes what he learned in the Cold War. Eye-opening and personal.
Best for: readers who want inside knowledge.
4. Fallout by Lesley M.M. Blume
How a journalist revealed the human cost of Hiroshima and changed history. Short and gripping.
Best for: readers who like journalism.
5. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
The collapse of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes. A thriller of Silicon Valley fraud.
Best for: tech scandals.
6. Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow
A reporter pursues the story of Harvey Weinstein. Tense and revealing.
Best for: investigative reporting.
7. Private Empire by Steve Coll
The story of ExxonMobil and its global power. Thorough and sharp.
Best for: ExxonMobil.
8. Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden
The hunt for Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. Fast and detailed.
Best for: manhunt.
9. The Great Influenza by John M. Barry
The 1918 flu pandemic told through scientists and cities. Detailed and compelling.
Best for: pandemic history.
10. Hiroshima by John Hersey
Hersey tells the story of six survivors of the 1945 bombing. A short, humane classic.
Best for: readers who want the human cost.
11. Sandworm by Andy Greenberg
The story of Russian hackers and their attacks. Gripping and well reported.
Best for: cyberwar reporting.
12. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
Murders of Osage people in 1920s Oklahoma lead to the early FBI. Grann's best-known work, gripping and well researched.
Best for: more Grann.
13. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
A serial killer lurks around the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Narrative nonfiction with a thriller pace.
Best for: history plus murder.
14. Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins
The Apollo 11 astronaut who stayed in orbit writes with candour and wit. Widely praised as one of the best astronaut memoirs.
Best for: Apollo memoir.
15. Skunk Works by Ben R. Rich and Leo Janos
The former head of Lockheed's secret Skunk Works unit tells how his team built the U-2, the SR-71 and the stealth fighter. Technical and fast.
Best for: aviation history.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Operation Paperclip: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Operation Paperclip. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For Cold War, read The Making of the Atomic Bomb. For science, try Dark Sun. For secrets, pick The Doomsday Machine.
Related: Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Operation Paperclip?
Annie Jacobsen, in 2014.
What is it about?
The US program that brought German scientists to America.
Is it true?
Yes, it is nonfiction.
Which book here is best for aviation history?
Try Skunk Works by Ben R. Rich and Leo Janos, which suits readers looking for aviation history.
Which book here is best for Apollo memoir?
Try Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins, which suits readers looking for Apollo memoir.
Which book here is best for history plus murder?
Try The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, which suits readers looking for history plus murder.
Which book here is best for more Grann?
Try Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, which suits readers looking for more Grann.
Which book here is best for cyberwar reporting?
Try Sandworm by Andy Greenberg, which suits readers looking for cyberwar reporting.
Which book here is best for readers who want the human cost?
Try Hiroshima by John Hersey, which suits readers looking for readers who want the human cost.