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 did not know of these women until I read the book. I was appalled by the way the company treated them. The money spent for help that was never recovered. Sadly, this is still happening in our world.
Great information about the times and trials of the women working painting dials with paint containing radium, how they were duped and the tragic consequences. Sometimes a bit tedious to get through all the facts and data
Story about a tragic time in our country and how poor working conditions affected women. I loved how the author made the characters come to life from interviews, news articles, court documents etc. very interesting and I had no idea this happened.
Great book about the history of radium and how big companies hid the health effects. The Radium Girls did a lot for our country to make corporations pay for health conditions and protect the employees. They were the first to get guidelines established. It is a very sad story but wroth the read!
As relevant today as it was in the early 1900s, this exposure of the power of business and government to control and conceal will reinforce your appreciation of the strides we have made in protection of the people of our Nation. It will break your heart
Very interesting book. Never knew anything about this subject. Found it fascinating and frustrating. Sad but true story.
Reminds one of the Erin Brockovich saga – big business does not want to face the facts. Three cheers for the persistent medical researchers. A sad story about innocent, vivacious young ladies un-beknowingly killing themselves. I mean, “who knew?!”….whoa
This book is hard to put down. It’s a story my Dad told me about when I was a little girl.
People used to believe Radium was “good” for you…and in the time when female workers had no rights. But these ladies changed the rules.
Must-have information.
Great book, full of interesting facts I did not know, and how an American company blatantly deceived its employees. Stunning.
This is one of the best books I have read. I am amazed by the strength, determination and grit these young women displayed. Truly inspirational!
A very readable history of an almost current-day, real-life nightmare.
This is an amazing telling of what pain and strength these girls had in their short lives. It is well written and very informative. I highly recommend it.
I grew up (am 78 years) knowing about this tragic scenario. It took place in the early 1920’s and was early knowledge about the awful consequences of radioactive elements. Radium was only isolated in 1898 by the Curies and what it all could mean in the future was to unfold. This book actually lets you get to know REAL gals who worked in the watch-dial painting industry……and what happened to them. OUTSTANDING!!
This ibelongs to a series of books. It is ok, but I did not like to be left in suspense about a half of the plot just because the author wants to sell another book. I am not buying her second book.
What made this book different from other stories I’d read about this subject was the author made the “girls” very real. She gave names and personal anecdotes about some of the individuals and what they actually suffered with radium poisoning; as well as the cold, money grubbing owners of the companies who refused to admit culpability and pay benefits. The legal battles fought in the courts was protracted. A lot of very understandable science about how the radioactive qualities of radium poisoning were actually developed.
Excellent history of one of the early uses of radioactive material, which ended up tragically for many young women, but ultimately showed how their sacrifice made the workplace safer for us.
This was a really frightening picture of the callous and irresponsible way that the health of these women was managed.
A true story about a horrific event. Made me angry to read this but I loved the women in it. Strong, caring and brave to the very end.
I loved this. What an incredible story of perseverance on the part of these women. This is an excellant account of a little known part of history that needs to be shared. The people come alive in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.