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A review by kerri_reads
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
The Radium Girls recounts the history of the American dial painting factories at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as the women who worked there and their fight for justice.
A lucrative, glamorous job with the most valuable substance on earth, young women flocked to work "Watch Studios" where watches, clocks and military dials were painted with a special luminous mixture made from radium powder to make them glow in the dark.
As the years pass, the women begin to suffer mysterious illnesses, crippling pain and dental problems and it becomes clear that radium poisoning is the cause. As they fight for justice and compensation, the company denies all responsibility.
This is a fascinating true story, and Moore has managed to structure the information in such a way that a reads like a novel. The horrific illnesses these women suffered due to radium, and how hard they fought knowing there would be no cure was really something. A thorough account of their stories with meticulous attention to detail, this was an infuriating and heartbreaking read.
A lucrative, glamorous job with the most valuable substance on earth, young women flocked to work "Watch Studios" where watches, clocks and military dials were painted with a special luminous mixture made from radium powder to make them glow in the dark.
As the years pass, the women begin to suffer mysterious illnesses, crippling pain and dental problems and it becomes clear that radium poisoning is the cause. As they fight for justice and compensation, the company denies all responsibility.
This is a fascinating true story, and Moore has managed to structure the information in such a way that a reads like a novel. The horrific illnesses these women suffered due to radium, and how hard they fought knowing there would be no cure was really something. A thorough account of their stories with meticulous attention to detail, this was an infuriating and heartbreaking read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism