Overview

Fifty years after their execution in June 1953 for conspiring to steal atomic secrets, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg remain the subjects of great emotional debate and acrimony. The man whose testimony almost single-handedly convicted them was Ethel Rosenberg's own brother, David Greenglass. Though the Rosenbergs were executed, Greenglass served a mere ten years in prison, after which, with a new name, he disappeared. But journalist Sam Roberts found Greenglass, and then managed to convince him to talk about everything that had happened. So here at last is the mesmerizing inside story of the Rosenberg case: What were their lives like growing up on the Lower East Side? How was David Greenglass enlisted in a plot to hand over to the Soviets our greatest national secret? And how, finally, did the whole thing unravel? Even beyond that, ""The Brother"" reveals how David Greenglass perjured himself in testifying about his sister and her husband--testimony that virtually strapped them into the electric chair. ""The Brother"" is a great narrative, far more mesmerizing than anything else written on the subject. It is a story of espionage. It is the story of a trial. And, most tragically, it is the story of a family.

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9780375761249

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Reviews

"""A fresh and fast-paced study of one of the most important crimes of the twentieth century.""--""The Washington Post"" ""[Sam Roberts] is a deft writer able to weave science, history, and criminal investigation into an absorbing narrative that at times reads like a spy thriller--even if you do know how the story ends.""--""The Boston Globe"" ""An absorbing account of the Rosenberg atomic spy drama seen through the eyes of [David] Greenglass . . . whose testimony helped send his sister, Ethel Rosenberg, and her husband, Julius, to the electric chair in 1953."" --""The New York Times Book Review"""

A fresh and fast-paced study of one of the most important crimes of the twentieth century. -- The Washington Post <br> [Sam Roberts] is a deft writer able to weave science, history, and criminal investigation into an absorbing narrative that at times reads like a spy thriller--even if you do know how the story ends. -- The Boston Globe <br> An absorbing account of the Rosenberg atomic spy drama seen through the eyes of [David] Greenglass . . . whose testimony helped send his sister, Ethel Rosenberg, and her husband, Julius, to the electric chair in 1953. <br>-- The New York Times Book Review

Author Information

Sam Roberts is a New York Times reporter and host of NY-1's cable talk show ""New York Close-Up."" He is the author of ""Who We Are: A Portrait of America Based on the Latest U.S. Census."" He lives in Manhattan with his family. ""From the Hardcover edition.""

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