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The Radium Girls

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The Radium Girls

By: Kate Moore
Narrated by: Kate Moore
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About this listen

 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Drawing on previously unpublished diaries, letters and interviews, The Radium Girls is an intimate narrative of an unforgettable true story.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.
©2016 Kate Moore (P)2016 Simon & Schuster Americas Military United States Women Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking

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All stars
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A hard read, it's very powerful. Good writing style, clear narration. i would definitely recommend

very powerful

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superbly written and narrated. not what I would normally choose but so glad I did. these poor women endured such pain, suffering and deformity. unbelievable how it took so long, too long to get justice. this is an eye opener and story which so needed telling. Brave, brave women and such amazingly supportive husbands and families. Thank you for this insight.

Superb

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What a fabulous book. An horrific tragedy told so well. Both the writing and the narration are top notch. This has been my first introduction to this author but as a result I have now bought another of her titles on audible and I can't wait to listen. I love non-fiction with high quality research which this book most certainly is. It is then told in such a way that is both thrilling and evocative. A brilliant legacy for the girls affected and how their strength created such significant change for future generations of workers. And what a damning tale of corporations. Profit before people to the nth degree. Highly recommend.

An excellent book

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This is a truly shocking story - I found myself gasping in disbelief at some of the genuinely jaw-dropping (pardon the expression) revelations - and it is its strength that kept me going to the end, in spite of the awful narration.

I can’t profess to be a fan of Kate Moore’s style of writing and. Certainly. Not. Of. Her. Strange. Staccato. Delivery. Terrible, theatrical, over-dramatised narration, which the story does not need; it is dramatic enough on its own (and how does a 30-something woman manage to sound like a 13-year old girl anyway?) I ashoom (sic) she was reading it how she was imagining it when she wrote it.

Some of her pronunciation would have been risible if it weren’t so irritating: ashooming, conshoomer, clappsed, clective, diptheria, becuzz, prehaps… (I could go on.) And while I understand that it was necessary to demonstrate that these were young, vibrant, attractive, fashionable women (I kept having to remind myself they were only in their early 20s) was it really necessary to be told of the physical attributes of (virtually) every person in the book? Was it relevant if a doctor had a bald head and glasses? I don’t think so. I found it really grating on me by about halfway through.

That being said, the account is totally engrossing. The shameless machinations of the companies in trying to protect their reputations and, more importantly, their profits, were staggering! I was entirely unaware of the struggles of these women and of their part both in changing industrial safety regulations and in the greater knowledge of radioactivity and its effects. A powerful story that needed to be told, but probably not by Kate Moore.

Powerful Story Irritating Narration

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Interesting, thought-provoking, saddening and an important re-telling of a major corporate injustice over years.

Excellent

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highly recommend this book, i had never heard of these girls story before and now i will never forget them

brilliant telling of an horrific story

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Numerous times throughout this story, I had to pause it to cry, to breathe through my anger, or to simply process the shock at what I was hearing. The writing is phenomenal. Grace Fryer’s story hit me hardest. This is an important story that more people should know about.

Heartbreaking, horrifying, infuriating, absolutely fantastic!

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From the start it's clear that this is an excellent and very well researched non-fictional account of the horrifying experiences that The Radium Girls endured nearly a hundred years ago. The author's attention to detail is exacting and precise, and yet the women whose lives she is unpacking are not merely reduced to names and medical conditions but are reclaimed as fully human individuals who lived and loved and inevitably gave far more than should ever have been required of them. This is a truly memorable account of the lives of the perpetrators, victims and families that probably won't fade from my memory anytime soon. I would definitely recommend this to others.

A very important listen

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Most interesting, harrowing and distressing piece of history. I finished the 16hr book in 2 days. Thank goodness for all the workplace legislations that are in place these days. This book is well worth a read or listening to especially if you enjoy true stories.

Well worth listening to

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I loved everything about this audiobook. The story was so informative and the dignity of the radium girls made me sad and mad. I couldn't put it down. How strange that human nature hasn't changed over time and the lawyers swopped allegiance according to how much they were likely to gain financially. A very good balanced account of a hideous true story.

An amazing book of an amazing story

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