Scan barcode
A review by will_meringue
The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
5.0
For all the dial-painters
And those who loved them
Before reading, I knew only the most basic things about the dial-painters: they glowed; they died. This book did what narrative non-fiction does best, opening up a topic I'd not really considered and making it speak across the past, present and future. It's a harrowing read - the descriptions of their deaths are brutally visceral, and I cried multiple times - but always clear-eyed, informative, emotional and empathetic. The cruelty shown by URSC, Radium Dial and other forces in the industry would be unthinkable if it wasn't all too common under capitalism.
And those who loved them
Before reading, I knew only the most basic things about the dial-painters: they glowed; they died. This book did what narrative non-fiction does best, opening up a topic I'd not really considered and making it speak across the past, present and future. It's a harrowing read - the descriptions of their deaths are brutally visceral, and I cried multiple times - but always clear-eyed, informative, emotional and empathetic. The cruelty shown by URSC, Radium Dial and other forces in the industry would be unthinkable if it wasn't all too common under capitalism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Death, Body horror, Miscarriage, Blood, Cancer, Murder, and Medical trauma