The Radium Girls- The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore
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.
- Suggested age range- Adult
- Format- Paperback
- Product dimensions- 5.2" W x 7.9" H x 1.5" D
- Genre- Science
- Publisher- Sourcebooks, Publication date- 03-06-2018
- Page count- 504
- ISBN- 9781492650959
Web ID: 6767174
3.5 rounded to 4
This book was extremely complex, but that makes sense as it's a complex book. I personally struggled to read this book because at many times the information didn't hold my attention. Maybe I'm just not a nonfiction person. I will admit that the last one hundred pages did draw me in and I was anxious to see how the story would end.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Heartbreaking
Radium swept the globe with what many believed to be the new wonder drug and hot new addition to the beauty world. It was added to lotions, tonics and products for consumers to snatch up to bring some brightness to life post World War I. One watch dial factory used radium to make the faces of their watches glow leaving hundreds of their workers iridescent post shift stirring up jealousy among other women who coveted the dial painter's jobs. Everyone wanted to be a Radium Dial girl...until they all started falling mysteriously ill. Vehemently denying any wrongdoing the company fought with every weapon they had at their disposal to cut ties with the women, ignore their cries for help and all out lie to the public on the harmless use of radium. The brave women who united to hold Radium Dial and its management accountable undertook one of America's biggest lawsuits that forever changed the rights given to workers, laws that still echo today. I found "The Radium Girls" so difficult to listen to for two reasons. First, what happened to these women was gruesome and absolutely heartbreaking. The effects of the poison that not only was slow but absolute torture was so difficult to imagine. Second, the audiobook version of this story was so overly narrated it was painful to listen to at times. This story is such an important one to hear about. I would just recommend the physical book over the audio one if you have yet to discover the tale of the Radium Girls.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fascinating
Interesting expose on the women who worked with radium in the early days of the 20th century and the dangers they faced, both from the radium and the company they worked for. This is a well-written and easy to follow read. The thought of these women willingly adding the paint to make themselves glow is horrifying as is the fact that the company they worked for tried to sweep this all under the rug and denied any culpability in their illnesses. I learned so much about them and their stories and hope that nothing like this happens again.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Informative and Heartbreaking
Moore uses original sources to bring the women to life, including interviews, court cases, letters, photos, and diaries. The story of their hazardous conditions and their bravery is heartbreaking, emotional, and mesmerizing. And although the effects of the radium were fatal for many of the girls employed, Moore highlights the long lasting results achieved through their tragedies.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Written more like historical fiction
I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I actually did. Even though it’s a very important story and I’m glad it’s being brought to the public’s attention, I just wish it wasn’t told the way it was in this book. I can tell the author put a lot of work into the research behind the radium girls’ stories, but there were a few things that just didn’t sit right with me while reading and I honestly feel I could’ve gotten the full story through other means (saving both my time and avoiding frustration while doing so). Throughout the entire book, I felt there was too much of an emphasis on how beautiful the girls were. It felt as if the author was using these all too frequent reminders in order to make this story even more tragic. Any time a female is introduced, the first thing that is discussed is something about their looks and how they measure up as far as beauty goes. This was incredibly annoying. The story was devastatingly tragic, regardless of the beauty of the victims, and wouldn’t be any less tragic if the victims didn’t have “aesthetically pleasing” looks. Also, I found the author was incredibly repetitive. Maybe the book wouldn’t be nearly 500 pages long if it was more concise and to the point? Nearly every chapter ended with a cliffhanger, which really took away from the experience of a non-fiction book. I chose this book because it was supposed to be a retelling of historical events, not the next bestselling thriller! Maybe it’s a personal opinion, but I prefer concise non-fiction books that don’t add fluff to make it more suspenseful. Although my opinion on the all too frequent cliffhangers may seem trivial to others, it also really bugged me that the author frequently assumed victims’ thoughts or opinions. Really? Please tell me where each particular victim’s thoughts were documented in the very moment in which they occurred so that you include them in a book. How could one assume that on X day at work, so-and-so’s thoughts were “all consumed by her looming doctor appointment that afternoon?” Was it, really? Show me where you found that documentation, please. Is this supposed to be a novelization or a non-fiction retelling of historical events? I’m pretty sure it was supposed to be the latter, but often felt much more like historical fiction. Perhaps that’s what pulled in so many other readers, but it didn’t work for me. Overall, The Radium Girls just fell flat for me in the end and I think the story itself deserves a much better telling than what was done in this book.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Heartbreaking
Heartbreaking book. I was familiar with the story of the radium girls, but hadn't read such an in-depth study of the case. Moore managed to make this account scholarly and well-cited without being dry or dull. The voices of the girls themselves absolutely rang through. I was riveted and profoundly moved. A must-read.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com