Radium Girls

I just finished this book after hearing about it from a friend. I have to admit my ignorance and confess that I had no idea that this happened--that hundreds of women were poisoned from working in radium dial factories and had to fight not only for a diagnosis but for rights to compensation and aid from their employers. Workman's compensation and work safety laws have come a long way since the 1930s and these women did a lot to make all of it happen.

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore is a really well put together story of several of the women's lives before they began their employment with the radium factories until their deaths. She has interviewed family members, read reports, and visited the areas affected. Her writing includes both narratives and research which makes for an interesting, all-encompassing read. I feel like I learned a lot!

She also writes it in a way that is very honoring to the women. We know their passions, what they enjoyed in life and what was ultimately taken away from them. We learn how many barriers were overcome and how much it hurt to keep going. But they didn't give up. It's incredible to think how strong these women were and all they accomplished.

I hope you'll give it a read. Be warned, it's long! 480 pages

I just finished this book after hearing about it from a friend. I have to admit my ignorance and confess that I had no idea that this happened--that hundreds of women were poisoned from working in radium dial factories and had to fight not only for a diagnosis but for rights to compensation and aid from their employers. Workman's compensation and work safety laws have come a long way since the 1930s and these women did a lot to make all of it happen.

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore is a really well put together story of several of the women's lives before they began their employment with the radium factories until their deaths. She has interviewed family members, read reports, and visited the areas affected. Her writing includes both narratives and research which makes for an interesting, all-encompassing read. I feel like I learned a lot!

She also writes it in a way that is very honoring to the women. We know their passions, what they enjoyed in life and what was ultimately taken away from them. We learn how many barriers were overcome and how much it hurt to keep going. But they didn't give up. It's incredible to think how strong these women were and all they accomplished.

I hope you'll give it a read. Be warned, it's long! 480 pages