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Reviews tagging 'Grief'
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore
78 reviews
aech's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, Grief, and Classism
skoot's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Great prose. Personally wish it went into more detail about legal and court proceedings but what was included was very good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Classism
oh_no's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
absolutely awful content, wonderful book! honestly, if this wasn't non-fiction I'd classify it as a horror! I went through so many emotions while reading : shock, sadness, indignation, anger and sorrow for all those poor girls. my only complaint is that the story is at times hard to follow, sometimes the character have extremely similar, if not identical names. this can't be helped though, as this follows the story of real people.
would recommend to those who have the stomach for it, regardless of whether they usually read non-fiction (I personally, do not!)
would recommend to those who have the stomach for it, regardless of whether they usually read non-fiction (I personally, do not!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Grief
Moderate: Infertility, Mental illness, and Miscarriage
Minor: Abortion and War
boomwormbrittany's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
5.0
The Radium Girls follows the absolutely unbelievable story of the girls who were poisoned by the companies they worked for and their fight for justice.
This book is an absolutely heartbreaking and inspiring story about a group of women's fight to try to hold companies accountable for the poisoning that they suffered due to the companies lying to them about the harmful effects of radium. This book was an absolutely heartbreaking and wild ride to read.
Watching these women having to not only suffer to find a diagnosis and be misdiagnosed was already heartbreaking. But also watching them having to fight tooth and nail to just be able to get any sort of compensation and help from the companies was absolutely rage inducing. The way these companies lied about these women and their conditions and what they were suffering while they were sitting there, in pain and dying, was absolutely mind blowing.
This book is such an important book to read because it's not just about the women's pain. It's about their resilience and how they worked together despite the odds to try to do right by others who would suffer like them.
I think this is a very important book to read and it should be read by everyone. The way Kate Moore handled this was so deft and well done. She showed so much respect and care for these women and their stories. I teared up in her descriptions and she showed their courage so well. I cannot recommend this book enough.
This book is an absolutely heartbreaking and inspiring story about a group of women's fight to try to hold companies accountable for the poisoning that they suffered due to the companies lying to them about the harmful effects of radium. This book was an absolutely heartbreaking and wild ride to read.
Watching these women having to not only suffer to find a diagnosis and be misdiagnosed was already heartbreaking. But also watching them having to fight tooth and nail to just be able to get any sort of compensation and help from the companies was absolutely rage inducing. The way these companies lied about these women and their conditions and what they were suffering while they were sitting there, in pain and dying, was absolutely mind blowing.
This book is such an important book to read because it's not just about the women's pain. It's about their resilience and how they worked together despite the odds to try to do right by others who would suffer like them.
I think this is a very important book to read and it should be read by everyone. The way Kate Moore handled this was so deft and well done. She showed so much respect and care for these women and their stories. I teared up in her descriptions and she showed their courage so well. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Miscarriage
reg_litbytes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
3.5
TLDR: An emotional take on true historical events focusing on the humanity of the victims while still being informative. Leans a bit into the fictional. Went on a little too long and felt repetitive. I zoned out a few times.
TRIGGER WARNING: Graphic descriptions of disease
THE GOOD: I truly appreciate what the author is doing in this book - focusing on giving life to the women who suffered. The stories were laid out in a way that I felt how the suffering of each were all interconnected. I could feel the hopefulness, the grief, the helplessness, and the triumph of each victim that were given the spotlight. Lives and futures were ruined and I found myself getting mad and frustrated along with the victims. I wish I could look at pictures of each of them as they were being described - before and after the exposure. The goal of the author was to humanize the victims in contrast to how the other books covering the same topic has done - more scientific. So do take note that if you intend on reading this, it can often lean into the fictional. It does this by filling in some details that the author is unlikely to have known (ex. what the victims have been thinking and feeling apart from what they themselves have written).
THE BAD:
It went on too long that I found myself, at times, zoning out. The epilogue was proof enough that this didn't have to be as long as it is. Or maybe… it was meant more to be read on print than on audiobook? It got repetitive but understandably so because the victims all went through, more or less, the same horrors. Unfortunately, halfway through, I just couldn't wait to find out how they were able to resolve the issues and the impact on society (which the epilogue was able to cover).
THE NARRATION:
The narration was mostly fine but not something I would remember in the long term. I didn't feel comfortable speeding it up to more than 1.5x; but then again I don't usually speed up audiobooks.
TRIGGER WARNING: Graphic descriptions of disease
THE GOOD: I truly appreciate what the author is doing in this book - focusing on giving life to the women who suffered. The stories were laid out in a way that I felt how the suffering of each were all interconnected. I could feel the hopefulness, the grief, the helplessness, and the triumph of each victim that were given the spotlight. Lives and futures were ruined and I found myself getting mad and frustrated along with the victims. I wish I could look at pictures of each of them as they were being described - before and after the exposure. The goal of the author was to humanize the victims in contrast to how the other books covering the same topic has done - more scientific. So do take note that if you intend on reading this, it can often lean into the fictional. It does this by filling in some details that the author is unlikely to have known (ex. what the victims have been thinking and feeling apart from what they themselves have written).
THE BAD:
It went on too long that I found myself, at times, zoning out. The epilogue was proof enough that this didn't have to be as long as it is. Or maybe… it was meant more to be read on print than on audiobook? It got repetitive but understandably so because the victims all went through, more or less, the same horrors. Unfortunately, halfway through, I just couldn't wait to find out how they were able to resolve the issues and the impact on society (which the epilogue was able to cover).
THE NARRATION:
The narration was mostly fine but not something I would remember in the long term. I didn't feel comfortable speeding it up to more than 1.5x; but then again I don't usually speed up audiobooks.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, and Grief
smcaput2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Infertility and Grief
craftyheather's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
leligavi's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.25
This was my first nonfiction I've read of my own accord. Not for school or required reading, just because I wanted to know the story. I'm so grateful I read it. The impact that these women, lawyers, and doctors all contributed to this world is just amazing. Their tenacity is admirable and above all, I could just see the Lord bringing justice to these girls and giving them the strength to continue on. He led them to people that fought for them and for the truth and that is just so powerful. What wonderful faith and strength these girls exhibited and I hope to be just a fraction of what they were. Such a powerful read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
helen_641's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
rachelhilary's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Sexism, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy