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louiza_read2live's review against another edition
5.0
Tragic doesn't even begin to describe this nonfiction book. Girls as young as 15 and young women filled with hopes, dreams, and excitement to be a part of what they thought was a scientific discovery that would change the world and also their lives. Young and innocent, thrilled to be from the first ones to work with the shining treasure, the radium, they could have never imagined that their lives would indeed change, but not in the way they wanted or expected. The radium that they were told over and over again it was safe to work with and they were instructed to be putting the painting brushes in their mouth in order to achieve precision in their work one day would take their lives and one by one they would experience a horrific and painful death. These young girls and women, somebody's daughters, sisters, mothers, wives, had no idea that they were painting the clocks that would count down the time they had left to live. This book is about ignorance (willful and otherwise), deception, cover ups, greed, pain, death, and the trial that shook the U.S. in the 1920s as the workers and their lawyers were fighting for justice for those who were already dead and for those who were dying. They had lost the fight for their lives; could justice ever be for the victims of their employers' greed? The most they could fight for at that point was to ensure that people were aware of the deadly element they were working with and push for the necessary protections to be taken and also to provide for their families after they would be dead. And yet this is not a book only of victimhood.This is also a book of the victims' courage and their incredible strength. I wish I could have been able to call them survivors, but tragically, radium doesn't allow for survivors. Unlike the death that we have used to envision in a black costume, radium appeared like a shining, illuminating Charon and killed everyone that came in close contact with it.
Very well written and very painful!
Very well written and very painful!
thoeroesa's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
5.0
mostlybees's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Cancer
benziebox's review against another edition
5.0
This book is both heartbreaking and inspirational. If I had half the perseverance as these women did I think I could achieve anything! There were times that I was so wrapped into the stories of these women I had to remind myself these events happened. It just goes to show you how far a company will go to maintain their innocence.
missteddybearears's review against another edition
5.0
A fascinating and tragic story. I really enjoyed learning about the girls. At times, the information was hard to stomach and brought me to tears. My only complaint is that I listened on audio and the narrator would swallow audibly (and once I picked up on that, I was completely thrown out of the story).