This lively history of Los Alamos focuses not on the science but on the extraordinary social atmosphere of the place, its secret mission, stunning location and huge personalities. Conant tells the story of Los Alamos from the perspective of both Robert Oppenheimer and his friend and assistant Dorothy McKibbin. The author is the granddaughter of James B. Conant -- Harvard University President and chairman of the National Defense Research Committee during WWII.  (SWU191, $26.95)