This is a story that deserves to be told. Unfortunately the writer is not really up to the task. She’s not unreadable, but she’s certainly annoying: repetitive, drawn out and trite. If you read it, I suggest you skim. What these women endure is horrible, but the duplicitousness of the company is even more horrible. I did appreciate the epilogue that discussed the lasting effects of these women and their fight. ( )

3.5

If you can’t handle body horror, walk away. Because what the radium does to these women’s bodies is HORRIFYING.
The writing was easy to read but I felt like this could have been edited down a bit. I enjoyed the addition of photographs.
Don’t dip and lip ladies.

Amazing story, but the writing is not great: too many irrelevant details, too much sermon-izing, too many actors that are included, etc. A good editing could have made this book truly great by cutting out at least 1/3 of it. ( )

This audiobook was engaging and well-narrated. And what an amazing story! The girls were told that the radium paint was harmless and even beneficial. I can imagine how they daubed their faces, their lips, their eyebrows with leftover paint and stepped into the dark room to glow, laughing and dancing, with no idea of what was coming. Like watching a slow-moving train wreck.

The story takes us through the painful deterioration of their health, some short-term, some long, before their inevitable deaths. We got to know the young women and their families and their very personal stories. One painful part for me is that these were mostly "good Catholic girls" who were loyal to the company and never challenged authority. But they summoned the courage to find an attorney (who worked for free, as the families were poor) and start lawsuits, though the women were often too sick to appear at trial.

The company owners lied and manipulated in court. But the effort was ultimately successful in changing legal protections, though some companies exposed their employees to radium all the way up to 1978.

An important part of history as we entered the nuclear age.

Highly recommended! ( )

I listened to this on audio and was absolutely enthralled by the topic and the experiences of the women. I think the audiobook is read well by the narrator and the facts of the cases are startling.
This is a topic I knew nothing about and I'm so glad I experienced it first with this book. I've done further research on the Radium Girls and their stories are fascinating and heartbreaking. ( )