The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science by Dava Sobel
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Web ID: 20312174A scientist and a person
One of the nice things about this biography is that it deals with more than science. It’s also a love story; love between a husband and wife, love of a widow for her daughters, and love of the many young women for the researcher whose influence brought them into a field reserved for men. Dava Sobel’s account begins with Marie Sklowdowska’s humble origins in Warsaw as the youngest daughter of a high school teacher. At twenty-four she moved to Paris to do research on magnetism under the tutelage of Pierre Curie, whom she married in 1895. Devoted both to each other and their work, the marriage produced two daughters before Pierre’s death in a tragic accident. Astonishingly, the Curies’ ground-breaking experiments in the obscure new field of uranium took place in a primitive laboratory, where they built an ionization-testing chamber from wooden grocery crates. It was Marie whose work with pitchblende and thorium led her to conclude that these materials contained a hidden element more active than uranium. She dubbed this phenomenon “radio-activity”. During World War I she suspended her research to visit field hospitals in a radiology car, using X-ray equipment to help doctors treat wounded soldiers. For the rest of her life Curie divided her attention between her children and her work, becoming the first woman in France to earn a PhD in physics and the first anywhere to win two Nobel prizes. The numerous women she inspired came to work with her in a more advanced laboratory or became teachers. Despite a scandal involving her relationship with a married physicist, Curie won world-wide acclaim. Humble and shy, she continued her experiments while suffering from exposure to radioactive materials. One of the remarkable features of this book is how Sobel manages to simplify its science for the average reader. Without getting bogged down in details, she demonstrates how Curie, her oldest daughter, and their colleagues filled the missing gaps in the periodic table, thus exposing the intricate secrets of atomic energy. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, make cameo appearances in this history. In summary, this is a readable book that helps us to know Marie Curie as a person and as a scientist. I’m happy to give it a five-star rating.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
haunting and full of detail
Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for this review copy! This is a captivating and intimate biography that delves into the extraordinary life and groundbreaking work of one of history's most remarkable scientists. Sobel masterfully weaves together the personal and professional aspects of Marie Curie's life, painting a vivid portrait of a woman who defied societal norms and shattered scientific barriers. From her humble beginnings in Poland to her pioneering research in radioactivity, the author brings Curie's story to life. The narrative is enriched by insightful glimpses into Curie's relationships with her husband, Pierre, and their daughters, Irène and Ève. At the core of the book is Curie’s revolutionary work in radioactivity, a term she coined herself. The journey of Curie's early research in a rudimentary laboratory, where she worked under grueling conditions to isolate the elements polonium and radium, are meticulously traced. The descriptions of these experiments are rich with detail, capturing the painstaking hours Curie spent in her lab, enduring physical hardships and pushing through exhaustion. This narrative brings readers into Curie’s world, creating a palpable sense of the dedication and sheer perseverance required for her breakthroughs. By shedding light on the technical side of Curie’s experiments without overwhelming readers with scientific jargon, the author offers explanations that enhance appreciation for Curie’s achievements. The descriptions of her methods feel immersive, as the complex process of isolating radioactive elements is unfolded. This is no simple feat, as Curie’s work was not only groundbreaking but also extremely dangerous—a fact underscored by the illnesses she suffered due to prolonged exposure to radioactive materials. Sobel manages to convey the gravity of her work’s risks while celebrating the intellectual bravery it took to push forward despite them. Sobel also brings a deep sense of humanity to Curie’s life, exploring her personal struggles, sacrifices, and the remarkable resilience that defined her journey. Curie’s relationship with her husband and scientific partner, Pierre Curie, is depicted as a profound intellectual and emotional partnership. The love they shared fueled their collaborative research, making the story of Pierre’s untimely death a particularly moving part of the book. Curie fell into a profound depression, yet she emerged from grief to continue their shared mission, a testament to her strength and unwavering commitment to science. Another repercussion of Pierre’s death was the profound isolation she faced, not only because of her grief but also due to the societal and professional scrutiny that came with being a woman in a male-dominated field. The author doesn’t shy away from addressing the scandal that followed Curie’s affair with a married colleague, a controversy that jeopardized her career and subjected her to intense public scrutiny. This part of Curie’s story reveals the depth of her resilience, as she endured personal attacks yet continued to work tirelessly, eventually earning her second Nobel Prize in Chemistry. One of the book’s strengths is its detailed descriptions of Curie's interactions with contemporaries like Albert Einstein and other influential scientists. Sobel enriches Curie’s narrative by situating her within a broader network of scientific minds, highlighting both collaborations and tensions in a field dominated by male figures. This perspective underscores Curie's perseverance in claiming her space as a leader in science, culminating in her dual Nobel Prizes in both physics and chemistry. Every chapter emphasizes the challenges Curie faced as a woman in science. Despite her unprecedented accomplishments, Curie encountered persistent gender discrimination from the scientific community, which is illustrated with well-documented examples. Curie’s exclusion from the French Academy of Sciences, despite her Nobel Prize, highlights the professional obstacles she faced purely because of her gender. Sobel uses these incidents to underscore the broader struggle for female scientists of Curie’s time, illustrating just how revolutionary her achievements were in a field that constantly attempted to undermine her. Curie’s resilience in the face of this discrimination is portrayed as one of her defining traits. Instead of retreating, she worked harder, carving a path for future generations of women scientists. Curie’s work lived on through her children, particularly her daughter Irène Joliot-Curie, who followed in her mother’s footsteps to become a Nobel Prize-winning chemist. Through this exploration of Curie’s legacy, the author illustrates how Curie’s life was not only a personal journey but also one that inspired and empowered others, especially women, to enter the scientific world. Curie’s journey is relatable and inspiring. Readers will find a figure who, despite societal limitations and personal loss, pursued her passion with unwavering dedication, emerging as a role model for aspiring scientists everywhere. Her story serves as an inspiration to aspiring scientists, particularly women, who may face similar challenges in their own careers. In THE ELEMENTS OF MARIE CURIE, Dava Sobel offers a multi-dimensional portrait of a woman who was both a scientific genius and a resilient human being. Through careful research and empathetic storytelling, Sobel brings Curie’s journey to life, highlighting her contributions to science and her challenges as a woman in a restrictive society. For anyone interested in the history of science, feminism, or simply an inspiring story of human strength, this is a compelling read and a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning more about the history of science and the lives of pioneering scientists. Sobel’s ability to present the scientist’s life in a way that is both educational and deeply moving makes this biography a standout addition to the literature on Curie. The book captures the depth of her humanity, reminding readers that behind every great scientific breakthrough is a person with dreams, struggles, and an unyielding will to make a difference.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Warm and Insightful Account
Dava Sobel, The Elements of Marie Curie How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science, Grove Atlantic | Atlantic Monthly Press, October 2024. Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review. The Marie Curie who emerges from this book would appreciate the way in which it is organised to give other women status in the unique scientific world she created. She would also be pleased with the position given her husband. That her scientific mind and ambitions were intertwined so convincingly with affection for her family and delight in partnership is a theme which gives this work a warmth and depth that is striking. Continuing the pattern in which scientific women are given status is the connection made with the elements which provide the headings for each chapter. The preface, Formula for an Icon: Marie Curie 1867-1934, combines the outline of Marie Curie’s story as is to be expected. However, early on Sobel demonstrates her commitment to illuminating the vagaries of the sexist world in which this icon of a sphere seen as masculine excelled. The Nobel Prize medals, of which she won two is described in its emphasis on the perceived difference between the feminine and masculine spheres. Cleverly she moves on to the impact of the first prize on the Curie’s lives – no dwelling on her assertion, just a fine depiction of the world in which Cuire moved, and then the practicalities that embraced her, one of the few, equally. It is this attention to a establishing a feminist accounting of Curie’s life that does not intrude, while rendering a detailed delivery of the way in which she excelled and helped other women make their way, which is a compelling feature of this book. Similarly, the health issues related to her work become a background, that gradually impact the reader, while not imposing themselves on the main narrative. Curie’s family life and attention to her daughters is treated with understanding also, never becoming intrusive, but always demonstrating the way in which work was intrinsic to Curie’s being and became correspondingly important to her family. The book is in four parts: School of Physics and Chemistry, 42 Rue Llomond, Paris; Sorbonne Annexe, 12 Rue Cuvier; The Radium Institute: Curie Laboratory, 1 Rue Pierre-Curie; large-Scale Production Facility, Arcuil; and an Epilogue. There is a glossary, bibliography, details of sources, an index, and illustrations with credits. A particularly interesting addition is the author’s Appreciation, acknowledging the role of men in Curie’s life and her own without undermining the importance with which she treated the women honoured in each chapter. The Elements of Marie Curie How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science is an excellent read, accessible while replete with detail that encourages greater understanding of Curie’s work, the context in which she worked, and the contribution made by so many other women in the scientific world of Curie.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fascinating & Different View of Curie
This book's subtitle provides important information. "How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science" tells the reader that this is more than just a biography. This book tells us how Madame Curie helped so many women study and work in science when it was not a common thing to do. We also learn how she managed to overcome her grief after her hubby was killed, and how she mothered her two daughters, allowing each to do her own thing, science or not. It is a fascinating and different way to view this famous scientist. Thanks to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and Atlantic Monthly Press for providing an ARC.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
She is one of the most famous women scientists
Most people, if asked to name a famous female scientist, would likely have Marie Curie spring to mind. The winner of a Nobel prize in two separate fields of science (the only person, male or female, to do so) in the early 1900’s, one in Physics alongside her husband Pierre and a second in Chemistry, she was clearly a brilliant scientist, and given that this was a time when women were not commonly found in that field her achievements are even more remarkable. But who was this woman? How was she able to enter and thrive in a male-dominated field, and what were her many contributions to the field? In reading this well-crafted biography from Dava Sobel, author of Longitude and Galileo’s Daughter, I was fascinated by how little I actually knew of this woman. She was passionate about her field of study, but also had a strong marriage (which ended too early due to a tragic accident) and raised two daughters (one of whom would herself go on to win a Nobel prize). She coined the word “radioactivity”, made significant contributions in developing X-rays which would improve care for soldiers during World War I, mentored scores of other women scientists and in so doing ensuring that their path would be easier than her own had been, and died at a relatively early age of a disease likely caused by her long term exposure to radiation during her scientific studies. In short, although I knew of Marie Curie prior to reading this book I did not know nearly as much about her and her accomplishments as I should have done. Readers of Dava Sobel’s prior books will have an idea of what to expect, a well-written account of the life of a scientist whose many contributions to science deserve wider appreciation, but anyone who is interested in the accomplishments of women in science and the barriers which they needed to overcome will also find this to be an enthralling read. If you enjoyed Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures or the books of Mark Kurlansky or Simon Winchester, this is a story you do not want to miss. Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press for allowing me early access to this fascinating look at a woman who lived an amazing life, and to author Sobel for continuing to use her gifts for storytelling to bring pieces of history to life.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Impressive review of Marie Curie's life
A thorough review of Marie Curie's life and especially her scientific discoveries. The detailed science was a little overwhelming but the author did an exceptional job of making it understandable to the average reader. It was impressive to learn how many female scientists Madame Curie mentored, including her own daughter, during her exceptional life. Highly Recommended Thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press
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