Current Read: The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
Yesterday, I received a copy of The Radium Girls by Kate Moore. My boyfriend actually ordered this book for me and I'm excited to learn more about this topic!
My book is actually a previous release - from 2016 - and from a different publisher - Simon and Schuster. Part of the book takes place in Ottawa, IL, where my boyfriend is from. We are heading back there for a few days this summer, so I'm excited to read the book and then re-visit some of the places.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis (from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31409135-the-radium-girls?from_search=true)
The incredible true story of the young women exposed to the “wonder” substance of radium and their brave struggle for justice...As World War I raged across the globe, hundreds of young women toiled away at the radium-dial factories, where they painted clock faces with a mysterious new substance called radium. Assured by their bosses that the luminous material was safe, the women themselves shone brightly in the dark, covered from head to toe with the glowing dust. With such a coveted job, these “shining girls” were considered the luckiest alive—until they began to fall mysteriously ill. As the fatal poison of the radium took hold, they found themselves embroiled in one of America’s biggest scandals and a groundbreaking battle for workers’ rights.
A rich, historical narrative written in a sparkling voice, The Radium Girls is the first book that fully explores the strength of extraordinary women in the face of almost impossible circumstances and the astonishing legacy they left behind.
My book is actually a previous release - from 2016 - and from a different publisher - Simon and Schuster. Part of the book takes place in Ottawa, IL, where my boyfriend is from. We are heading back there for a few days this summer, so I'm excited to read the book and then re-visit some of the places.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis (from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31409135-the-radium-girls?from_search=true)
The incredible true story of the young women exposed to the “wonder” substance of radium and their brave struggle for justice...As World War I raged across the globe, hundreds of young women toiled away at the radium-dial factories, where they painted clock faces with a mysterious new substance called radium. Assured by their bosses that the luminous material was safe, the women themselves shone brightly in the dark, covered from head to toe with the glowing dust. With such a coveted job, these “shining girls” were considered the luckiest alive—until they began to fall mysteriously ill. As the fatal poison of the radium took hold, they found themselves embroiled in one of America’s biggest scandals and a groundbreaking battle for workers’ rights.
A rich, historical narrative written in a sparkling voice, The Radium Girls is the first book that fully explores the strength of extraordinary women in the face of almost impossible circumstances and the astonishing legacy they left behind.
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