All the stars for this well researched nonfiction that is just infused with emotion. Kate Moore writes in such a manner that I quickly became immersed in the stories of the American women in the 1920's and 1930's that were exposed to radium poisoning. What these women and their families went through to have the truth heard in the courts and in the country! I felt so furious at the company that refused for so long to admit their wrongdoing. Imagine implying that all these women had died of "Cupid's disease" aka syphilis. A definite must read on the 2017 TBR list.

This book was fascinating, poignant, and heart-rending. A true story that inspires you with tales of almost super-human courage in the face of unspeakable suffering, while also filling you with a righteous indignation to right the wrong that was done to these innocent young girls by their callous employers.

While I was familiar with the story of the young women painting the luminous watch dials with radioactive radium and then dying afterwards, I never knew the depth of their agony or the horrors that they went through before they finally, mercifully, died. Although the last of them died over fifty years ago, the mark of their destruction remains visible as their bones are still radioactive and still glow in the dark and will for thousands of years (radium has a half-life of 1,600 years)!!

I wholeheartedly recommend this book: both for its message of courage in the face of adversity and for its cautionary advice against taking the word of any authority unquestioningly.

When I finished "The Radium Girls: They paid with their lives. Their final fight was for justice' by Kate Moore, I decided to wait before writing a review because I wanted my emotions to settle down. I wanted to be able to write a calm and clear review without my own emotions becoming involved. I even read three unconnected books so I would have clarity. I have discovered that there is no way that I can write a review about this without all the emotions coming back. In retrospect, I think the radium girls deserve all of that passion and emotion. They went through so much and are responsible for not only the labor laws we have today protecting workers but also a much more clear understanding of the effects of radiation on the human body.
During World War One, everyone wanted to help with the war effort in any way they could. One way was to paint watches, military dials, and clocks with a luminous substance that was made from radium. The military dials were vital for the soldiers serving overseas because they could see the time on the watch without showing their position because of the luminous glow that had been painted on them by the radium girls. These girls not only helped with the war effort but the pay was extremely good too. The girls had no idea that they were working with a very dangerous form of radiation and were even taught to shape the tip of the brush in their mouths in order for it to become a fine point. Rags and other ways were not used because it would waste the radium paste. They were employed by United States Radium Factory who knew how dangerous radium was. Upper management and scientists generally used protection but no one told the girls at all. Then one by one, the girls became very sick, usually starting with jaw pain but other ailments came up as well. The end result was a very painful death. The company knew this was happening and took an active role in actually hiding the evidence to the point of isolating one young lady from her family until she died and burying her before her family could become involved. The answer came years later when she was exhumed: her jaw had been removed to hide evidence. If you take a Geiger counter today to their graves, the needle will jump even 80 years after their deaths. They were also known as ghost girls. They actually glowed in the dark and played games like painting their teeth and nails because they had been told it was harmless and it looked so "pretty". They had no idea they were seeing the signs of their own death sentences.
There have been a few books written about the radium girls but never any that took the time to research who these girls actually were. They were mothers, daughters, sisters and they each had dreams and a story to tell. Kate Moore actually visited with family members and their graves and did so much research so we could know who these brave women were. The girls had to fight long and hard for justice and they probably had no idea how far reaching their fight would become. The reason why inspectors come to a company or you have to fill out a form if the accident happened at work is all because of these women's efforts and suffering. One of the girls even said if she could prevent one person suffering as she did then it was worth the fight. It is very hard and emotional reading to learn about a girl who was so happy to start working at 14 only to die a painful death at 21, a woman who was never able to bear children, a mother taken from her young children way too soon, and the actual facts about what exactly these women went through. We all owe these women a great debt and they should be remembered. Kate Moore has paid them the highest respect by making sure their stories are told and they are remembered. If there is one meaningful book to pick up this year, I highly recommend you read this one. I guarantee that the radium girls will stay with you and you will be grateful for having read it.
I received a copy from the publishers (thank you so much!) via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book very different from anything I've ever read previously. It evoked such emotion with the details it revealed throughout and was both highly readable and thrilling. These women deserve to be recognised for the huge sacrifices they made, all they asked was the same as most of us do now - a steady job with money coming in, yet, what they got turned into something else entirely. Kate Moore did exactly what she set out to do by writing a truly honest and heartbreaking tale of these incredibly brave and shining women whose lives were taken for granted by the greedy radium companies. They knew of the harm radium could do but in order to profit from the radium binge, let the women continue with their practices.

This is an important book with regards to workplace reform but also will be of interest to those in medical and science fields or with interest in them. I am in no doubt that this sort of thing could be repeated in this day and age, due to the amount of people who's morals retire when money is involved.

Highly recommended to fans of non-fiction and well researched true stories.

I would like to thank Kate Moore, Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this wonderful title in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

A heartbreaking look at early radium workers and the terrible side effects they suffered. Some parts were difficult to read and was very sad

I almost started this with “Oh my gosh, you need to read this.” Oh my god, you do need to read this. Kate Moore’s Radium Girls exemplifies why strong worker protections are vital in the work force. There are so many people around the world who are taken advantage of by corporations, and it is sickening to hear what a company is willing to allow people to suffer in order to make a profit.

This story is absolutely heart wrenching. It almost reads like a fiction story. It’s amazing how much has changed in just a few decades regarding scientific discoveries. Now, anyone dealing with radioactive materials has many safeguards they are required to implement. Can you even imagine being instructed to swallow radioactive materials? I really recommend reading this, as it outlines why there is a need for strong regulations on corporations. The experience of these women show why profit making corporations can not be trusted to self-regulate or care for their employees.

I highly recommend this novel. Moore is a gifted writer, and her talent shows in this novel. I could not believe I never heard this story prior to reading Radium Girls.

Please be advised that I received this novel for free from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Radium was considered a magical cure-all back in the early 1900s, and companies produced all sorts of things to give people that enchanting glow. The rich ingested high-dose radium waters. People wore it on their clothes. And the workers at the radium companies were encouraged to tip the brushes of their brushes with their mouths while painting dials on everything from watches to dashboards on military vehicles. These workers glowed: hair, clothes, skin. There were no safety measures protecting them from this radioactive material. Their companies told them the radium was perfectly safe; it was s wonder drug after all. Supervisors would stare sick employees in the face and declare they were perfectly healthy. Even when these workers teeth and jawbones began to fall out, months or years after they stopped working, and odd growths and pains developed and mystified doctors, the radium companies persisted: radium was perfectly safe.

And we ask why we need regulations protecting workers, residents and the environment, when companies value profit over safety time after time after time. These women faced years of excruciating pain, mountains of debt and the indifference of their former employers. As one husband stated, "There are humane societies for cats and dogs but not human beings with souls."

This was an informative and excellent read into the radium poisoning that established precedents for workforce protections. I just had a couple of relatively minor issues that prevented it from being 5 stars.

1. Looking for an objective book on the issue? Don't read this. The writing is emotional and impassioned, which makes sense as the author is telling the story of the affected women, but I was not a fan of how she broke the fourth wall and continually assigned emotions to the reader.

2. Girls, girls, girls! If I never see this word again, it'll be too soon. I get it, it was the language at the time, but continually calling these women girls turns them into feeble children incapable of making their own choices, not strong, capable women who fought for justice against unethical companies and a legal system without precedents on their situation.

However, despite these minor flaws, it's a good read, and very timely during this period of industrial and environmental deregulation--to support businesses and short term profit. But who loses?

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

So interesting. Great insight into history.

Highly recommend

A part of history we should all know…

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you NetGalley for this opportunity.

Kate Moore’s telling of the times and struggles of the young women who meticulously painted dials with radium paint does their legacy justice. This all-encompassing recount of the multiple plants and locations, the agencies involved, and heart-rending accounts of these women takes you through their journey to seek justice in a time where compassion and clandestine activities pose nearly insurmountable challenges as they face an inescapable reality. Of particular import is their connection with the birth of OSHA, and what stands as no surprise is the attitude of corporate executives of the time. What this book leaves you with is the good people who stepped up to take on the task to do the right thing despite the obstacles presented.

This eye-opening read loses no impact to the span of time that has passed. These women live once again in these pages to share their joys and sadness, family sorrows, and a legendary show strength in character for all the “ghost girls”.

The research is extensive and impeccable in this historical, non fictional account of the use (misuse and abuse) of radium at the turn of the century. I was unaware of the radium girls and the factories that employed them. Therefore, I feel enlightened, if not enraged, by the corporate greed, the lack of safety standards, and the poor communication between scientists, management, and doctors. Consumer advocacy has improved greatly in the last 100 years, thank God. The lower rating is due to the execution of the facts. The author is said to have written an historical narrative, yet it seemed to be more of a longitudinal parade of facts, which became repetitive and redundant. Transitioning between Ottawa and New Jersey was choppy and confusing. Transitioning between the various girls was also tedious. There was just so much back and forth! It did not read as a narrative at all. The book would have been more engaging, and the facts more interesting, if fewer girls were portrayed, and only one setting was used. The play, Radium Girls: a Play in Two Acts does just that. In the play, the characterization is dynamic and the story haunting. Regrettably, such is not the case in Ms. Moore's book.

In fairness, I think I prefer historical fiction ( ex:The All Girls Filling Station, Hidden Figures, Nightwitches, The Nightengale) which still inform and enlighten the reader, but with a narrative that is more engaging than a text-book-like series of facts.

Not surprisingly, this is a highly upsetting read. I had nightmares. But – it’s a true story and these women should not be forgotten. To think that they were told all was safe and it wasn’t, along with feeling that they were fortunate to be in these jobs that eventually killed them – well, this was one read that I won’t forget any time soon.
Some of my theater friends were in a fantastic musical theater production of Radium Girls here in the Boston area and won several awards for it. I recommend it if you come across it. I don’t know if this is the same play as the one cited above.
Thank you for my review e-copy.

This was a fascinating but emotionally packed book to read. The author was very thorough in her research and really made me care about these women. I found myself cheering these women on and appreciating their courage, legacy and grateful that they fought a fight I would not have to fight, now. However, it also made me wonder what is our "radium" in the 21st Century?

I struggled with how to rate this book. I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and rounding up. This book could have easily been half the length and became a very tedious read. The historical information was interesting. But there were too many unnecessary details included and the writing was often cliched and overdramatized. It read like fiction and I don't mean that as a compliment. That being said, the writing style might appeal to fans of Unbreakable.

Wow. I can already tell this is going to be one of the best books I'll read this year. I knew a little bit about the dial painters, but nothing on this scale. This book will infuriate, sadden and inspire you. I've been telling friends they need to read it.

I have a personal, if indirect, connection to this story. My dad was a doctor at one of the teaching hospitals that had treated these women and, although he was too young to have met the radium victims, his professors had known them. He has a special link to them of his own, too. During the radium fad when he was growing up, my father's teenage acne had been treated with radiation and he had been badly burned, leaving scars all over his face and the lifetime risk of skin and thyroid cancer. So I grew up knowing this story and jumped at the chance to read this book when it was offered.

Ms Moore does a wonderful job of evoking the early years of the 1900s when young women in several cities landed excellent jobs as dial painters in the watch factories. What happened to them was terrible and Ms Moore presents their decline and death sympathetically, without artificial emotion.

The subsequent political fight for compensation will astonish readers who are unfamiliar with the battles for workers' rights waged by unions and others a century ago.

I received a review copy of "The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women" by Kate Moore (Sourcebooks) through NetGalley.com.

The Radium Girls
Be forewarned. The Radium Girls by Kate Moore is both repulsive and compelling – like a scab not quite ready to come off. Once started, the reader is drawn back again and again to read what she’d rather not know. The publisher fittingly describes it as “The dark story of America’s Shining Women.” Unfortunately, it is nonfiction.

Set during the time of World War I, young women get a dream job of painting numbers on clock faces with radium to make them glow in the dark, first for the military and later for public use. As early as 1901, scientists knew the dangers inherent in radium. This account begins in 1917 when those dangers were being ignored and denied. To make their brushes produce exact tiny lines, the “Radium Girls” dipped the brushes into their mouths to make the points sharper. Bits and pieces of the substance fell onto their clothes or parts of their body, making them glow eerily and beautifully in the dark. For a time, the ingredient enhanced the girls’ beauty for party going as they sometimes added extra touches of leftovers here and there. All was well until, one by one they began to get sick.

The radium attacked their bones and teeth. The company denied all charges that radium was the cause. Intrigue, lawsuits, and lies filled the days as the young women sought justice. In a saga that stretched to 1938 with one step forward followed by two steps backward, the Radium Girls pursued the truth. The impact of their battle reaches forward into safety procedures that protect our world today.

I highly recommend this book and think I see the prospects of a movie inherent in its story.

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore is a 2017 Sourcebooks publication.


“Luminous Processes, declared the local paper, seems to put profits before people.”
‘How quickly we forget.’

Only the most hard -hearted among us could read this book without shedding tears. So be warned this book is not for the faint of heart and while the bravery of these young ladies is certainly inspirational, the anger and frustration I felt about their untimely and excruciating deaths left me feeling emotionally and physically exhausted.

The author has obviously done meticulous research about the women who worked for the Radiant Dial Corporation and the United States Radium Corporation beginning in 1917.

The practice of ‘dip, lip, paint’, which was encouraged by the factory, to prevent waste, and to give the brush a sharper point, but exposed the women, who painted luminous dials on watches, with deadly radium. The factories were so popular, due to the wages, which were well above average, and because of the ‘glow’ the women had due to the radium exposure, which they were assured was perfectly safe. Some of the women even painted the substance onto their faces to see themselves glow in the dark.

Five women in particular stood out, as they battled what was termed ‘occupational diseases’, taking their case to court, but there were many more. The court cases were long, hard fought, and had many disappointments before all was said and done. It was a hard battle which lasted for many years, but the effects lingered on for these ladies’ offspring, for years to come.

But, the author really excelled at bringing these women to life, giving them a voice, so to speak. All these women were so very young, so full of life and hope. To hear, in horrific detail, their pain and suffering made for some very difficult reading. Catherine Wolfe Donohoe is one that stood out for me, with her loyal husband, Tom.

The suffering these women endured, was gruesome and unimaginable. Again, I warn you, this material is very graphic, and the author drives this point home with such vividness, I swear my joints and teeth ached.

This is a battle that waged for many years, with the factories refusing to accept that the radium was dangerous, then trying to hide that it was dangerous, by any means.

This is a painful story, one that highlights greed and deceit, but also proves what can happen if you stand up for yourself, speak out, and refuse to give up. The women featured here saved countless lives, while giving their own.

This is a powerful, gut wrenching story, and it’s one that has played out in various forms, since the years highlighted here, with various companies hiding dangers or releasing flawed products onto an unsuspecting public.

These women should never be forgotten and their bravery should set a shining example for anyone who may find themselves in a similar situation. You never know, you may, like the women featured in this book, bring about new standards of health and safety, expose dangers, and force accountability on those only concerned about their own bottom line.

Bravo to Madeline Piller, whose championed these ladies by raising funds for a bronze statue honoring these brave women. The statue was unveiled in 2011, in Ottawa, Illinois.

5 stars

Kate Moore's The Radium Girls is a harrowing account of the young women working to paint the illuminated numbers on the clock. Before reading this, I hadn't realized the dangers that these women faced, and I was horrified to discover that none of their symptoms were truly taken seriously until one of the men who worked in one of the factories succumbed to the effects of radium poisoning. It's an enlightening read, and I'll be sure to recommend it to readers who are looking for their next read after The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

I honestly do not know where to begin with this book, but just wow!!! This book made me so so angry, and let me tell you why. I was angry because I had never heard their story, it had never even been hinted at. This to me is such a heartbreaking, maddening injustice. What these women went through is unimaginable and their strength through it all is astounding. Let me back up a little and explain.

This is the story of the Radium Girls, Dial Painters from the early 20th century. They painted dials on watches, clocks, and various equipment so that it would glow in the dark. The part of the paint that was used and made them glow was Radium... Yes, you read that right, Radium!! These women had no protection whatsoever and many of them painted and were exposed to these dangerous elements for years!! And one of the problems is that it takes years in most cases for symptoms to begin. It was known fairly early on after the discovery of the element by the Curie's that it was dangerous, but communication about it was so skewed and often portrayed as being beneficial. It took decades for these women's voices to be heard and for them to even be diagnosed. Many years after that until it made it's way through our court system and more years until it really had an impact on the industry.

The amount of suffering these women had to endure, the strength they had to fight those who had harmed them, and their efforts to help those who came after them is just astounding! I cannot tell you how many times I cried while reading or became so infuriated that I had to pause for a minute. You will not believe that this book is really nonfiction and even worse that you have never heard anything about it. To me it is an unbearable travesty that this piece of history is overlooked. I think everyone needs to read this book and tell others about it. These women deserve to be heard!

I gave this book five stars because of all I have written above, but also because it is a very well written book to boot. I could not put it down from the first page and finished it as quickly as I could. Kate Moore really draws you in and makes you feel like you are a party of the story. I believe that is one of the reason it is so devastating a read, you really get to know these women and you see their world. You can also feel the author's obvious passion on sharing this story with the world. Excellently written book and an unbelievable story! I am forever changed from reading it and recommend it to everyone. It has been quite a long time since I have read a book that has ignited a passion in me. So much so that I have now added to my bucket list a trip to pay my respects to these amazing heroes at the one and only monument to them, which is in Ottawa, Nebraska. Thank you Kate Moore for opening my eyes and giving this story life.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley for my fair and honest review.