During World War One, many young women found themselves in a unique job. It was simple enough, painting dials on clock but what made it unusual was that the substance used to do this was radium. Since it’s discovery by the Curies at the beginning of the twentieth century, the worldwide public has been fascinated by the substance and the public’s hunger for it has fueled companies to put in everything.
I don’t often write reviews on nonfiction books. For the most part, if they are well researched and written I give them either a 4 or 5 stars and then move it. But, for this book I couldn’t just do that. I needed to speak on this and particularly on the women whose story is told.
I had heard of the radium girls before I picked up this book but my knowledge was extremely limited and, with it being Women’s History Month, I decided to give this book a go.
And I’m happy I did.
From the start, Kate Moore makes sure that the women’s stories are told. This might seem obvious but Ms. Moore makes sure you truly come to know the women at the center of this horrible tragedy. You learn about their families, their dreams, and the strength that carried through their illnesses and lengthy court battles. For that, I can not praise Ms. Moore enough. I felt like I grew to know the women and that is the real strength of the book.
Yes, it is well written and one can tell that Ms. Moore was extremely thorough in her research. But the fact that she brought these women to life and didn’t merely mark them off as simply names on the page is what made this book stand out. I’m sure there are other texts discussing this particular event in history but I highly doubt any of them will get you as close as this one to understanding the women.
This story is painful to read, especially the farther you go but it is well worth it. It is thanks to the radium girls that we have more protections for workers. They ensured that their suffering was not done in silence and something positive would come out of all the pain and hardship they endured.
In a world where there seems to be less and less positive stories, I would highly recommend you pick up The Radium Girls, if nothing more than to honor the women whose impact in history is still felt to this day.
A resounding 5 out of 5 stars
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