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Sylvania Book Club

Radium Girls the Dark Story of America's Shining Women

Good conversation, friendly faces and great books - that's what book club is all about. We're looking forward to seeing you at our lively and engaging book discussion. Registration Required.

Click here to request or download The Radium Girls : the dark story of America's shining women by Kate Moore.

“As World War I raged across the globe, hundreds of young women toiled away at the radium-dial factories, where they painted clock faces with a mysterious new substance called radium. Assured by their bosses that the luminous material was safe, the women themselves shone brightly in the dark, covered from head to toe with the glowing dust. With such a coveted job, these "shining girls" were considered the luckiest alive--until they began to fall mysteriously ill. As the fatal poison of the radium took hold, they found themselves embroiled in one of America's biggest scandals and a groundbreaking battle for workers' rights. The Radium Girls explores the strength of extraordinary women in the face of almost impossible circumstances and the astonishing legacy they left behind.”

Optional Book Club Preparation:

Novelist- Read-alikes and Reviews Link

Genre: History writing; Business and economics
Tone: Dramatic; Haunting
Writing Style: Compelling

Articles and Video:

• The Women who Fought for Their Lives in a Killer Workplace, Britannica Link
• Radium Girls: Living Dead Women, Library of Congress Blogs Link
• National Museum of American History: Radium girls, Smithsonian, 1917-1935 Link
• Mae Keane, One Of The Last 'Radium Girls,' Dies At 107, NPR Link
• Facts and Ideas from anywhere: the Radium Girls, National Library of Medicine Link
• Kate Moore: The Radium Girls, Naperville Community Television NCTV17, 30 min Link