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Reviews tagging 'Death'
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore
187 reviews
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
badger_ti_robespierre's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Should be required reading
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexism, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
jcstokes95's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
2.5
Unfortunately, I feel like I’m giving a somewhat conflicted review here. The story contained within this book is harrowing and elicited a lot of fury from me as I read. We follow a score of women, in New Jersey and Illinois, who worked for USRC, painting dials with radium, unknowingly pouring poison into their systems for years. I should say, the poor women did not know, the company knew radium was dangerous from its creation. The main reactions I had while reading were wanting to scream OR wanting to find these men’s grave to shit on them. So….in that sense, Kate Moore really does get to the core of the story, which had been pretty much untold through a humanitarian lens.
However, I don’t feel I can call this book a runaway favorite because Moore’s writing style is substantially lacking. The chapters were punctuated with what felt like trite little speeches in the author’s voice. But they became repetitive… as did some of the evidence she was providing. I read this via audiobook, and at times I felt like I’d heard the line before in reference to other women. This made the 16 hour runtime feel like it could have been more succinct, thus having a larger impact. Something in Moore’s voice lacks the warmth to fully bring parts of this story to life. But I can’t fully fault her, because it’s clear the research for this book must have been painstaking. And I respect that she has created a real, readable record of these stories.
These women suffered from conditions that are frankly nauseating to read about. I can’t imagine living in the pain they did. Or having the strength of character and dignity they carried to fight a corporation which was so sinful. I mean, there is a point where they essentially steal a fucking body. And publish private medical information of a dead woman. I read this feeling only rage, so I recommend it, even though there are shortcoming in how it is written and structured.
However, I don’t feel I can call this book a runaway favorite because Moore’s writing style is substantially lacking. The chapters were punctuated with what felt like trite little speeches in the author’s voice. But they became repetitive… as did some of the evidence she was providing. I read this via audiobook, and at times I felt like I’d heard the line before in reference to other women. This made the 16 hour runtime feel like it could have been more succinct, thus having a larger impact. Something in Moore’s voice lacks the warmth to fully bring parts of this story to life. But I can’t fully fault her, because it’s clear the research for this book must have been painstaking. And I respect that she has created a real, readable record of these stories.
These women suffered from conditions that are frankly nauseating to read about. I can’t imagine living in the pain they did. Or having the strength of character and dignity they carried to fight a corporation which was so sinful. I mean, there is a point where they essentially steal a fucking body. And publish private medical information of a dead woman. I read this feeling only rage, so I recommend it, even though there are shortcoming in how it is written and structured.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Medical trauma
lovetlr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Really enjoyed the human element of the radium girls
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Sexism, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Death of parent
bmpicc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Do not read if you have dental anxiety! I remember people talking about radium and the shining women. I don't remember anyone discussing their teeth, jaws, shattering bones, and unnecessarily early deaths. This was an incredible story.
Like Moore's book 'The Woman They Could Not Silence', I appreciate learning at the end the laws added to the books, the why behind her decision to write the book, etc. I'll be following this up with the graphic novel.
"You fight and you fall and you get up and fight some more. But there will always come a day when you cannot fight another minute more.”
Like Moore's book 'The Woman They Could Not Silence', I appreciate learning at the end the laws added to the books, the why behind her decision to write the book, etc. I'll be following this up with the graphic novel.
"You fight and you fall and you get up and fight some more. But there will always come a day when you cannot fight another minute more.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Cancer, Infertility, and Miscarriage
sarahlaney7's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.25
This is a really great book to read as an audiobook. It started out a bit slow, but the author really covers all of the details necessary to make you feel like maybe you knew the radium girls personally. It is beautifully written, and the hope and gumption these girls possessed is truly inspiring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Terminal illness
kafarm6's review against another edition
challenging
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
It was just so gross 🫠
But I do love learning how a) all arguments we hear today are old af b) every bad event in history ever has had at least one person saying “this is bad you should stop”
But I do love learning how a) all arguments we hear today are old af b) every bad event in history ever has had at least one person saying “this is bad you should stop”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Misogyny, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail
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