Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women

This book tears your heart apart for these poor women while leaving you amazed by their bravery, and frustrates you to no end at the selfish, greedy people that will do anything for money. It's entirely one thing to hear about the radium girls in passing as you grow up, hearing only the surface of what they suffered in their short lives. It's another to read in detail the horrifying way these women's lives ended, and the way so many people knew and ignored the dangers they knew radium possesses. It's yet another terrifying example of what money and power can do to cause innocent people their lives, while others prosper and turn a blind eye. These women will be forever loved and adored for all they have done for others, as well as celebrated for their amazing fight for justice. Rest easy, girls.

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badger_ti_robespierre's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Should be required reading

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trapdorr's review against another edition

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dark informative medium-paced

4.0

Well paced but a bit too long in my opinion. Court cases could’ve been sped up. I appreciate the look into the girls lives vs just facts.

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craftyheather's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

1.25

"The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women" by Kate Moore delves into the tragic history of young women who were poisoned by radium in dial factories. Unfortunately, the book does not do this fascinating topic justice. Moore’s decision to profile a large number of women results in a narrative that feels like a series of character synopses rather than a cohesive story. This makes it difficult to connect deeply with any one individual, reducing the emotional impact.

Additionally, the writing style is peculiar. While the book is nonfiction, Moore attempts to infuse it with a novelistic tone. This blend of factual recounting with a narrative style more suited to fiction creates a disjointed reading experience, as it often feels like the book is straddling two genres without committing fully to either.

The portrayal of the women in the book also leans heavily towards a positive and hopeful depiction, which may seem unrealistic given the severity of their circumstances. The absence of anger and frustration among the women can leave the narrative feeling incomplete and somewhat sanitized. This lack of emotional diversity reduces the depth and authenticity of their stories, creating a less impactful and somewhat skewed understanding of their experiences.

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anna456's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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keirahelena_'s review against another edition

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informative sad slow-paced

4.0

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kemetaur's review against another edition

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dark informative inspiring sad

5.0

This book is absolutely horrifying and captivating.
I couldn't stop talking about this book after I read it.
The book was so well researched, there was so much information and context provided about the general social environment as radium was new and exciting, how people were thinking about it, trying to find new ways to use it, how different social classes related to it and had access to it, how much information (or not) was shared between scientists, doctors, business owners, and workers during those years. The added context of the times really put everything into perspective and brought the story to life for me.
Reading about the initial carefree excitement at the beginning was sad and built tension, knowing that things would eventually go so badly. They couldn't have known just how badly. The writing was incredibly vivid. The author really makes you feel like you're right there, watching horrifying events as they unfold, celebrating victories, caring about the people involved as real individuals, not just dry facts and a list of names on a page.

The one thing that really bothered me was the audiobook narrator audibly swallowing after each paragraph throughout the book. I feel like that could have easily been edited out or something.

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aahrobot's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

I know others have said they don’t like how dramatic the author can be, but I think it makes it more interesting. I enjoy the facts, statistics, and quotes, but I really loved how Kate Moore showed us more of these women. Their lives, families, hobbies. I got to know each one of them, just as she had, and I think it adds more to the story. It makes this nonfiction story read like fiction. I learned things, felt things, and ultimately enjoyed the book.

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