Who Would Like This Book:
If you love gripping true stories that combine history, science, and social justice, this is a must-read. "The Radium Girls" shines a light on the remarkable bravery of young women fighting against corporate greed and neglect in early 20th-century America. Kate Moore does a fantastic job of bringing the women's individual stories and personalities to life, making you truly care about their struggles and triumphs. Fans of narrative nonfiction, women's history, labor rights, and medical mysteries will be glued to these pages.
Who May Not Like This Book:
This isn't a light read - some readers found the medical details graphic and the emotional toll quite heavy. The book also has a large cast of characters, which can make it hard to keep track of everyone, and some felt the storytelling included repetitive details and speculative inner thoughts that blurred the line between nonfiction and narrative style. If you're sensitive to descriptions of illness or prefer tightly focused memoirs, this might not be your cup of tea.
About:
During WWI and WWII, young women worked in factories painting clock dials with radium, unaware of the dangers. As they fell ill, facing bone deterioration and tumors, they fought for justice against the corporations that denied blame. The book outlines their struggles, the development of worker protection laws, and the lasting impact on medical knowledge.
Genres:
Topics:
Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include graphic descriptions of illness, death, and the brutal effects of radium poisoning.
From The Publisher:
A New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Charts Bestseller
For fans of Hidden Figures, comes the incredible true story of the women heroes who were exposed to radium in factories across the U.S. in the early 20th century, and their brave and groundbreaking battle to strengthen workers' rights, even as the fatal poison claimed their own lives...
In the dark years of the First World War, radium makes gleaming headlines across the nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community. From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright. Meanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these shining girls are the luckiest alive - until they begin to fall mysteriously ill. And, until they begin to come forward.
As the women start to speak out on the corruption, the factories that once offered golden opportunities ignore all claims of the gruesome side effects. And as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America's early 20th century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers' rights that will echo for centuries to come. A timely story of corporate greed and the brave figures that stood up to fight for their lives, these women and their voices will shine for years to come.
Written with a sparkling voice and breakneck pace, The Radium Girls fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the wonder substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to life-changing regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives...
Ratings (87)
Incredible (32) | |
Loved It (25) | |
Liked It (19) | |
It Was OK (7) | |
Did Not Like (3) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (228):
Read It (92) | |
Currently Reading (3) | |
Want To Read (90) | |
Did Not Finish (11) | |
Not Interested (32) |
6 comment(s)
outstanding research, bad storytelling
Glad that the story of the radium dial-painters has been told, and their sacrifices and accomplishments recognized. Felt frustrated reading about the corporate greed, lack of safety standards and mishandling of information these women faced. However, I was not a fan of the writing, which I found redundant, confusing and sometimes tedious. Long descriptions of appearances felt unnecessary, and the choppy but frequent transitions between characters and plants was confusing.
soooo slow, interesting but slow and i will try to finish it eventually
The incredible true story of the young women exposed to the “wonder” substance of radium and their brave struggle for justice.
This book was really informative but heart wrenching for the women involved what they had to go through, most of them dying in the process, just terrible but really enjoyable book to read and learn about The Radium Factories of the time but equally annoying how Men in the 1920's repeatedly denied Radium had anything to do with teeth falling out, jawbone corrosion and many other ailments that was inflicted on the women.
It read like a thriller but was a True depiction and was very well done.
Enjoyed this book a lot
I enjoyed reading this story. It was truly heartbreaking and I didn't even know this was something that happened. I feel often times we try and sweep these things under the rug as much as possible , since it was so terrible. I enjoyed the multiple account of all the girls stories.
Depressing as hell, given the material, this book was nonetheless well written, well researched, and well put together. I only teared up once, toward the end, but oy, is this a hard slog at some points because it's so depressing. At least there's hope...until the next disaster that corporations deny responsibility for comes around.
What can you read after
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women?
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.
