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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I recommend this book, with reservations. It’s a terrible story of suffering and a cautionary tale for today, but a little goes a long way. I understand why the author must have wanted to share what happened to so many women, in detail, but I think the story would have been told more effectively by concentrating on just a few of the many who died such terrible deaths from radium poisoning. My fear is that the story loses many readers because it tells so much and at length, and I confess to skimming some of the last half of the book. Still, it is such an important story, and I still recommend it.
It is a chilling account of poor working class girls lured by the “glamorous and enviable” jobs that led to tragic ends. I could not stop reading.
I never knew!
Really great Very informative but sad and tragic Well worth reading
Had seen this on a news program so purchased. The history and story are tragic and reinforces that we cannot always believe what corporations and government agencies tell us.
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story Of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore. I listened to this book on audio narrated by Angela Brazil. I had to speed up the narration speed to 1.5 to enjoy the narrator. Otherwise it was extremely slow. I don’t usually read non-fiction but books but this was our Book Club pick of the month. I started reading it but just couldn’t get myself to sit down and read it. So I switched to audiobook. Kate Moore did a great job with her research and telling the stories of the Radium Dial Workers. It is such a sad story that needs to be known.
I was very taken by this book. I knew sometning about what happened. My grandfather died of bone cancer in 1943 that was caused by using radium ointment to treat a skin back in the 1920’s. India not know the full story. It was a beautifully written account of the scope of this terrible tragedy. As is so often true, greed is responsible for many tragedies of this sort.
Only got half way through. Tragic, heartbreaking story. Very interesting but I found the characters hard to follow. Wish it was written so that the reader could follow it better.
Very informative and interesting, well written about a issue that wasn’t highly known by the general public.
I firmly believe that this is a book everyone should read.
This was most informative about a time in history that many overlooked. I found it stranger than fiction. This well written and I have recommended it to many.
What a sad story. Everyone thought radium was a miracle and wonder-drug, harmless to use and safe to be around. Then the evidence of tooth and bone loss among radium dial painters began to mount. The women died grisly deaths yet the watch companies denied their responsibility, until a lawyer held them accountable.
The true story how Big Businesses care more about profits and less about the people who work for them.
Well written book about a tragic topic I knew nothing about.
I received a free copy of The Radium Girls, a recreation of the lives of the many young women brought down by radiation poisoning in the early 1900’s from Netgalley, Kate Moore and Sourcebook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, for sharing your hard work with me.
Kate Moore brings us an intimate look through the eyes of these girls, recreating their lives from diaries, letters and court testimonies, tombstones, family stories and dusty archives. She brings to life these feisty girls who spent their days painting minuscule radium numbers on watch faces, gun sights, and airplane dashboards. This work, done quickly and well, provided a fine income for an artistic young woman. Many applied for these jobs and encouraged their sisters and friends to apply, as well – both for the experience of working with this miraculous material discovered by the Curie’s, and to do their part for the war effort. The price they paid for this experience was horrendous. This is a story that needs to be shared so their sacrifices are not in vain, and as a cautionary tale as our world spins rapidly into tomorrow.
I’ve never seen a split plot like this and the idea is beautifully carried out
THE RADIUM GIRLS revealed a hidden history of American that will open your eyes, break your heart, and keep you turning the pages way past your bedtime. This was one of my top reads of the year.
It is incredible what these women went through and the legacy they left behind. It is hard to believe this happened only 100 years ago and the lasting impact it has on our lives today.
Denial, cover-up, hero, anti-hero, big business bully, suffering, certain death and more and more. Detailed account of young girls painting watch dial numbers with radium paint, their death warrants unknowingly signed as teenagers. Business owners sacrificing young lives for money while concealing facts and buying off doctors who should know better. A rare few lawyers willing to sacrifice everything just to do the right thing racing against time and greed to get court dates before clients deteriorate grotesquely all the while knowing there is no relief from or cure for radium poisoning. Families torn apart. Love in its most poignant manifestation. All the watch dial painters will die, but not before their bodies fail them painfully and in ways not even horror stories can conjure.
Incredible story. I had no idea about this until picking up the book on a cruise and couldn’t put it down. A must-read for everyone.