The Scary but True Story of the Poison that Made People Glow in the Dark
Author(s): Kate Moore
Publisher: Sourcebooks Inc.
Copyright Year: 2020
ISBN/ISSN: 9781728210346
REVIEWED June 5, 2020
Rating: Recommended
Recommended Grade Levels: 6-12
This young readers' edition of Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women (Sourcebooks 2017) tells the story behind the treatment of women who worked in the radium-dial factories during World War I. The women in the story feel grateful to have what was viewed as the coveted job of painting watch faces with radium. A modern reader understands the dangers of radium and knows immediately that this story will be a horrific one. Not only are the girls painfully sickened and killed from working in proximity with this poison, they are also forced to fight factory owners to obtain medical treatment. This is yet another story about the business world ignoring the truth in favor of profit. The book is well researched, with detailed notes, a glossary, and a bibliography. This title should be in all middle school libraries as one that fits in with the conversations currently being held in language arts, science, and social studies classrooms. Moreover, it demonstrates solid understanding of primary source research and how to tell a nonfiction story with interest.
Diane Fanning, English Teacher, The Village School, Houston, TX
Publisher's Product Description
The Curies' newly discovered element of radium makes gleaming headlines across the nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community. From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright in the otherwise dark years of the Great War.
Meanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these "shining girls" are the luckiest alive–until they begin to fall mysteriously ill.
But the factories that once offered golden opportunities are now ignoring all claims of the gruesome side effects, and the women's cries of corruption. And as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America's early twentieth century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers' rights that will echo for centuries to come.
Meanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these "shining girls" are the luckiest alive–until they begin to fall mysteriously ill.
But the factories that once offered golden opportunities are now ignoring all claims of the gruesome side effects, and the women's cries of corruption. And as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America's early twentieth century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers' rights that will echo for centuries to come.
Media Type: Book, eBook
Binding: HC
# Pages: 416
Price: $17.99
Genre: Nonfiction
Sub-Genre: Exposition