Book Discussion featuring The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

St. Marys Community Public Library is featuring The Radium Girls by New York Times bestselling author Kate Moore in a discussion on Thursday, November 9^th, 2023. The discussion will be from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the library meeting room. Books are available at the library for checking out and reading prior to the discussion.

The Curies’ newly discovered element of radium makes gleaming headlines across the nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community. From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright in the otherwise dark years of the First World War.

Meanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these “shining girls” are the luckiest alive – until they begin to fall mysteriously ill.

But the factories that once offered golden opportunities are now ignoring all claims of the gruesome side effects, and the women’s cries of corruption. And as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America’s early 20th century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers’ rights that will echo for centuries to come.

Book Discussion List:  https://smcpl.org/bookdiscussion/