Radium Girls by Claudia Clark


Radium Girls by Claudia Clark
Women and Industrial Health Reform, 1910-1935

Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Genre: Historical, Non-Fiction
Length: Full Length (304 pgs)
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

In the early twentieth century, a group of women workers hired to apply luminous paint to watch faces and instrument dials found themselves among the first victims of radium poisoning. Claudia Clark’s book tells the compelling story of these women, who at first had no idea that the tedious task of dialpainting was any different from the other factory jobs available to them. But after repeated exposure to the radium-laced paint, they began to develop mysterious, often fatal illnesses that they traced to conditions in the workplace. Their fight to have their symptoms recognized as an industrial disease represents an important chapter in the history of modern health and labor policy. Clark’s account emphasizes the social and political factors that influenced the responses of the workers, managers, government officials, medical specialists, and legal authorities involved in the case. She enriches the story by exploring contemporary disputes over workplace control, government intervention, and industry-backed medical research. Finally, in appraising the dialpainters’ campaign to secure compensation and prevention of further incidents–efforts launched with the help of the reform-minded, middle-class women of the Consumers’ League–Clark is able to evaluate the achievements and shortcomings of the industrial health movement as a whole.

Whatever happened to the Radium Girls? Read this book and find out.

I’ve been interested in the world of the radium girls for quite a while. I found this book and knew I had to read it. The information in this book is all there. The author digs deep to make the reader feel like he or she is right in the world of the girls. The good, the bad, the really bad…you’re there. For a story that has such a terrible ending, this book certainly captures all of the details.

The thing is, this book reads like a textbook. If it’s supposed to be one, then fabulous. If it’s not, then it can get a bit tedious. The writing is reminiscent of a textbook, which might not appeal to many readers. Then again, if you’re doing a paper about the radium girls, then this is exactly the book needed.

If you’re interested in learning about the radium girls, then try this book. It might be the one you’re looking for.

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