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 … 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…
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sad, haunting, depressing, necessary book about the women who sacrificed and suffered in the early days of the discovery and use of radium and the corruption and greed of unregulated business which exploited them.
An incredible story. These poor woman. I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend.
Great portrayal of the injustice suffered by so many innocent women who were lied to by their employers, physicians, politicians, etc. It felt like living thru something Hitler would have done. We acted so shocked when it is not in our own backyard. This was a wake up call.
Good history of the start of work place safety regulation – the resistance of manufacturers and the triumph of workers through law and legislation. Also a tragic account of young women killed by their employers with impunity.
Clearly shows the devastating effects of radium on the dial painters and how big business worked to cover it up.
Heart-breaking story about a dangerous and mysterious work-related illness. For so many, even today, the workplace is a deadly place.
Interesting subject but drags on
Wonderful nonfiction account
This is a fantastic book! I greatly enjoyed reading it. It is well written and informative. The author clearly did her research. She also had a bunch of sources cited for anyone who wants to double check her information.
It tells the story from the perspective of the girls who suffered and how they triumphed in the end. It talks about how there are laws now in place to prevent this from happening.
It reminds me a little of Bad Blood by John Carreyrou where the company is knowingly doing something wrong and bullies anyone who tries to stop them.
I recommend this to anyone who likes science or learning how certain laws came to be.
Such a sad story of neglect for these girls.
Secure in today’s world of medical achievements, we sometimes forget how even during the last century, doctors were totally unprepared for modern dangers. This was especially true concerning the miracle of Radium in the 1920’s. It was touted as a cure-all, included in medicines for all sorts of ailments: “On sale were radium jockstraps and lingerie, radium butter, radium milk, radium toothpaste (guaranteeing a brighter smile with every brushing) and even a range of Radior cosmetics…” No wonder it made such a splash when used to paint numbers on watch faces; supply couldn’t keep up with demand. When the ladies were hired to paint the numbers with a proprietary mix of radium and other much less expensive compounds (pure radium sold for the equivalent of $2.2 million per gram), they clamored to be hired. Not only were they well paid (piecework), but it was glamorous to run around afterwards, glowing in the dark from powder that was absorbed in their clothes, skin, and hair. Since radium was deemed healthy, why not? In painting the numbers, they needed to apply the brush to their lips to keep the bristles sharp; the company took away any water or rags for that purpose; there was too much waste. All went well for a couple of years before health problems sprang up, and even so, it was nearly impossible to diagnose because the ailments manifested themselves in different ways. Sometimes it was limping and back problems, often mouth problems. It started to look suspicious when pulled teeth didn’t help the pain; the gums wouldn’t heal and constantly discharged puss. A crisis was inevitable, and the first major case made me shudder:
“She hobbled over to Dr. Knef’s dental chair and then leaned back. Gingerly she opened her mouth for him. He bent over her and prepared to probe inside.
There were barely any teeth left now, he saw; red-raw ulcers peppered the inside of her mouth instead. Mollie tried to indicate that her jaw was hurting especially, and Knef prodded delicately at the bone in her mouth.
To his horror and shock, even though his touch had been gentle, her jawbone broke against his fingers. He then removed it, ‘not by an operation but merely but putting his fingers in her mouth and lifting it out.’
A week or so later, her entire lower jaw was removed in the same way.”
This was just the beginning. Even the girls who left the company earlier eventually succumbed to radium poisoning, though this cause will not have been identified for years, and wouldn’t be accepted for another few years. These poor girls died in horrible pain while their parents’ and husbands’ life savings were eaten up with medical bills. Naturally, the company refused to accept responsibility and resisted any compensation. It took a brave and determined attorney to force the issue, with limited success. The initial plant was in Newark NJ. Meanwhile, a few years later, a similar operation opened up in Ottawa, IL and the whole mess started over again. Prepare yourself for a shocking and bumpy ride. This book was very well researched—and hard to take. My only real complaint is that all the tragedies ran together, then the back and forth between Newark and Ottawa tended to muddle things in my mind. Although all the victims deserve to be recognized, it was too much to retain. One thing is for sure: the horror to these poor girls is unforgettable.
Amazing non-fiction book. This is a must-read!
This book truly defines the meaning of perseverance in the most tragic of circumstances. These young girls who were so happy and full of life until they were unknowingly exposed to radium at their job suffered unspeakable pain and disfigurement. The unfairness of the system was documented in the silent, disbelieving, and hard-heartedness of their employers who chose money over the lives of these young girls. A head-shaking, incredulous tear jerker that I will never forget!
Though I gave the book 5*, it was for content, not the writing— which was often cumbersome and repetitive. I think a good editor would make all the difference. That said, the detailed stories of these poor girls and their families needed to be told. I had read articles on this topic before, though none prepared me for the brutal consequences the girls faced after working with radium infused paint. The worst is knowing they were sacrificed in the capitalistic desire for larger profits. This is a must read for girls and women.
Newark, New Jersey in 1917 drew girls ( not women, some as young as 14) to paint radioactive radium on watch and small clock faces , a technology that helped soldiers in WWI see equipment dials in the dark. These dial painters were mostly poor girls who sought easier money than sweatshops or childcare ( radium was new, exciting, and “ good for you”).
All was well until some months or years later many started to develop dental problems from the practice of wetting their paintbrushes, already laden with radium, in their mouths. Teeth fell out, pain was excruciating, jawbones fell apart in dentists’ offices. Yet establishing the connection between the radium and the dental and facial trauma took years of suffering, lawsuits, lies, even death of some of theses girls then in their early 20’s.
This book portrays the gut-wrenching battle between the dial painters and their employers who pulled every trick to deny fault . Each early painter comes to life on these pages, and many die. In 1939, the battle ended with the painters winning. Yet, hundreds of painters over the 22 years of that battle, felt the effects of radium. Radium has, after all, a half-life of 1600 years.
Don’t miss this one.
a must read to to emphasize why we need industrial safety controls and never relax on these controls.
A heart wrenching account of the lives of the women suffering from work related radium poisonings. A well written piece of history.
The girls are courageous in their fight for justice. Enlightening, I had not known of their plight and the corporate greed involved
I was vaguely aware of the incidence of radium poisoning in women who had worked as dial painters. This is a chilling portrait of how big business’s greed for profits caused workers deaths- and the CEOs didn’t care, lied about the effects of radium, and hid the truth for decades.
OSHA was the result of the women’s lawsuits pursuing compensation and justice. I was reading this while the George Floyd protests were taking place, and kept thinking how one person’s life can change the world for the better.
Great read, well researched, well documented.
I have already recommended this book to several people. The thought of what these women went through is heartbreaking. I live in New Jersey and to realize this happened in my backyard is frightening