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The Radium Girls
- Narrated by: Kate Moore
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
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Summary
Emma Watson’s Our Shared Shelf book club choice
New York Times bestseller
All they wanted was the chance to shine.
Be careful what you wish for…
‘The first thing we asked was, “Does this stuff hurt you?” And they said, “No.” The company said that it wasn’t dangerous, that we didn’t need to be afraid.’
As the First World War spread across the world, young American women flocked to work in factories, painting clocks, watches and military dials with a special luminous substance made from radium. It was a fun job, lucrative and glamorous – the girls shone brightly in the dark, covered head to toe in dust from the paint.
However, as the years passed, the women began to suffer from mysterious and crippling illnesses. It turned out that the very thing that had made them feel alive – their work – was slowly killing them: the radium paint was poisonous.
Their employers denied all responsibility, but these courageous women – in the face of unimaginable suffering – refused to accept their fate quietly, and instead became determined to fight for justice.
Drawing on previously unpublished diaries, letters and interviews, The Radium Girls is an intimate narrative of an unforgettable true story. It is the powerful tale of a group of ordinary women from the Roaring Twenties, who themselves learned how to roar.
Critic reviews
‘Fascinating.’ Sunday Times
‘Thrilling.’ Mail on Sunday
What listeners say about The Radium Girls
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- Molly
- 21-11-21
very powerful
A hard read, it's very powerful. Good writing style, clear narration. i would definitely recommend
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-05-19
Superb
superbly written and narrated. not what I would normally choose but so glad I did. these poor women endured such pain, suffering and deformity. unbelievable how it took so long, too long to get justice. this is an eye opener and story which so needed telling. Brave, brave women and such amazingly supportive husbands and families. Thank you for this insight.
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- Pat
- 05-03-24
An excellent book
What a fabulous book. An horrific tragedy told so well. Both the writing and the narration are top notch. This has been my first introduction to this author but as a result I have now bought another of her titles on audible and I can't wait to listen. I love non-fiction with high quality research which this book most certainly is. It is then told in such a way that is both thrilling and evocative. A brilliant legacy for the girls affected and how their strength created such significant change for future generations of workers. And what a damning tale of corporations. Profit before people to the nth degree. Highly recommend.
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- JanJan
- 16-03-19
Powerful Story Irritating Narration
This is a truly shocking story - I found myself gasping in disbelief at some of the genuinely jaw-dropping (pardon the expression) revelations - and it is its strength that kept me going to the end, in spite of the awful narration.
I can’t profess to be a fan of Kate Moore’s style of writing and. Certainly. Not. Of. Her. Strange. Staccato. Delivery. Terrible, theatrical, over-dramatised narration, which the story does not need; it is dramatic enough on its own (and how does a 30-something woman manage to sound like a 13-year old girl anyway?) I ashoom (sic) she was reading it how she was imagining it when she wrote it.
Some of her pronunciation would have been risible if it weren’t so irritating: ashooming, conshoomer, clappsed, clective, diptheria, becuzz, prehaps… (I could go on.) And while I understand that it was necessary to demonstrate that these were young, vibrant, attractive, fashionable women (I kept having to remind myself they were only in their early 20s) was it really necessary to be told of the physical attributes of (virtually) every person in the book? Was it relevant if a doctor had a bald head and glasses? I don’t think so. I found it really grating on me by about halfway through.
That being said, the account is totally engrossing. The shameless machinations of the companies in trying to protect their reputations and, more importantly, their profits, were staggering! I was entirely unaware of the struggles of these women and of their part both in changing industrial safety regulations and in the greater knowledge of radioactivity and its effects. A powerful story that needed to be told, but probably not by Kate Moore.
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5 people found this helpful
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- michka
- 17-08-19
Excellent
Interesting, thought-provoking, saddening and an important re-telling of a major corporate injustice over years.
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- Karen
- 13-08-23
brilliant telling of an horrific story
highly recommend this book, i had never heard of these girls story before and now i will never forget them
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- Chloe
- 31-01-24
Heartbreaking, horrifying, infuriating, absolutely fantastic!
Numerous times throughout this story, I had to pause it to cry, to breathe through my anger, or to simply process the shock at what I was hearing. The writing is phenomenal. Grace Fryer’s story hit me hardest. This is an important story that more people should know about.
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- June.Reads
- 12-02-22
Powerful
I tried reading thja book and I couldn't due to the topic. Whoever, the audiobook was wonderful. It is a powerful one!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Ceej
- 17-09-20
Loved it
The reviews here nearly put me off but I’m so glad they didn’t. I really enjoyed this. The story is absolutely gripping. Harrowing but so human and compelling. The author’s delivery is a bit slow but I speeded her up: the wonder of audible! After a couple of hours, the girls were already falling sick and I wondered how on earth the tale could be stretched out for several more hours but the ensuing legal battles had me hooked. A great book!
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- miss c l walton
- 25-10-20
I had no idea
I had no idea the struggle these girls endured. thank you for writing this well written book! truly inspiring
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