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The Radium Girls

They paid with their lives. Their final fight was for justice.

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The Radium Girls

By: Kate Moore
Narrated by: Kate Moore
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Emma Watson’s Our Shared Shelf book club choice
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

All they wanted was the chance to shine. Be careful what you wish for…

‘The first thing we asked was, “Does this stuff hurt you?” And they said, “No.” The company said that it wasn’t dangerous, that we didn’t need to be afraid.’

As the First World War spread across the world, young American women flocked to work in factories, painting clocks, watches and military dials with a special luminous substance made from radium. It was a fun job, lucrative and glamorous – the girls shone brightly in the dark, covered head to toe in dust from the paint. However, as the years passed, the women began to suffer from mysterious and crippling illnesses. It turned out that the very thing that had made them feel alive – their work – was slowly killing them: the radium paint was poisonous.

Their employers denied all responsibility, but these courageous women – in the face of unimaginable suffering – refused to accept their fate quietly, and instead became determined to fight for justice.

Drawing on previously unpublished diaries, letters and interviews, The Radium Girls is an intimate narrative of an unforgettable true story. It is the powerful tale of a group of ordinary women from the Roaring Twenties, who themselves learned how to roar.
 Americas Military United States Women Scary Heartfelt
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Critic Reviews

'Kate Moore’s new book will move, shock and anger you.'
‘This fascinating social history – one that significantly reflects on the class and gender of those involved – [is] Catherine Cookson meets Mad Men . . . The importance of the brave and blighted dial-painters cannot be overstated.’
‘Thrilling and carefully crafted.’
‘Heartfelt.’
‘Kate Moore . . . writes with a sense of drama that carries one through the serpentine twists and turns of this tragic but ultimately uplifting story.’
‘Fascinating yet tragic.’
‘Heartbreaking . . . what this book illustrates brilliantly is that battling for justice against big corporations isn’t easy.’
‘A perfect blend of the historical, the scientific and the personal, this richly detailed book sheds a whole new light on this unique element and the role it played in changing workers’ rights. The Radium Girls makes it impossible for you to ignore these women’s incredible stories, and proves why now, more than ever, we can’t afford to ignore science, either.’
‘Carefully researched, the work will stun readers with its descriptions of the glittering artisans who, oblivious to health dangers, twirled camel-hair brushes to fine points using their mouths.’
‘Moore’s harrowing but humane story describes the struggle of a few brave women who took their case to court in a fight for justice that is still resonant today.’
‘Kate Moore’s The Radium Girls tells the story of a cohort of women who made history by entering the workforce at the dawn of a new scientific era . . . Moore sheds new light on a dark chapter in American labour history; the radium girls . . . live again in her telling.’ (Megan Marshall, Pulitzer Prize-winning author)
‘Kate Moore’s gripping narrative about the betrayal of the radium girls – gracefully told and exhaustively researched – makes this a non-fiction classic. Moore’s compassion for her subjects and her story-telling prowess . . . bring alive a shameful era in America’s industrial history.’ (Rinker Buck, author of The Oregon Trail)
All stars
Most relevant
An amazing story about such incredible women. Love the knowledge, thanks for telling their story.

WOW!

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This book is phenomenal. It is very informative, almost too graphic at times (while not being exploitative). This is an overlooked part of history which many people do not know about. I would give a warning to anyone who has a phobia about dentists/dental procedures/teeth that some bits of the book may trigger you.

A overlooked part of history

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It's never easy to read about desperately sick women dying in agony as their loved ones watch on helplessly. Nor is it easy to read about amoral company executives who know their product is killing their workers but lie and cover up to keep the profits mounting and then try every legal means to avoid paying even meagre compensation. But this book exposes a scandal which deserves to be more widely known, Kate Moore expertly recounts the story in a way which combines factual reporting with heart-rending personal accounts, and her narration is perfect - her acting ability no doubt being a big plus, This story started to unfold more than 100 years ago but there are still lessons to be learned. Highly recommended.

A very important book

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Absolutely incredible book, it’s gripping and powerful. The author has clearly done her research. Every step of the way is heartbreaking. What the girls endured and overcome is so devastating. The author narrating was brilliant. Absolutely loved this book.

Incredible, heartbreaking, powerful

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I came to this book after hearing the author discuss the radium girls on an episode of the Criminal podcast.
It’s meticulously researched and excellently crafted, and despite enjoying most of it I have struggled to finish it as it does seem to drag in the final chapters. It also suffers from a bit too much of an emotive performance from the author. It’s welcome in the first half or so of the book, as it makes the women come alive, but as the legal and medical cases progress, the delivery begins to border on melodrama. “Fair enough” I thought, “the book is wrapping up after all”, but then I discovered there were still hours left to go and it feels like we’ve reached fever-pitch far too early.

Seems counter-intuitive, but I reckon the content of the story is so moving by itself that it can be just as adequately conveyed without as much performance. It’s for this reason the last few hours has been feeling like a slog, but these things are subject and the book is well worth a listen anyway.

Fantastic story, but the execution is left wanting

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