Staycation

I have obtained a biology degree, a 7 year stint in quality lab testing, and some time with volunteer work involving stream and waterway testing. I also grew up in West Virginia along the Ohio River. So naturally, I already have an interest in the doom and gloom of manufacturing mishaps and the poisoning of the people and environment. This particular book centers around the individual legal battles of the toxic radium industry and overcoming the hurdles of being taken seriously as a woman in the workplace.

Radium Girls is a narrative nonfiction detailing the lives of many working class women (and children) during and after their exposure to radium paint. The stories are compiled from documentation found in diaries, letters, interviews, court transcripts and more. This author definitely did her research.

Much like other products that society loves and that later prove to be detrimental to personal health and the environment, radium paint used on watches was all the rage until it wasn’t. Women loved to paint their skin and admire the glow. It was the next best thing. It was magic! We see this in attractively packaged and overproduced products that contain PFAS and microplastics today. Eventually under-tested chemical shortcuts catch up to you after years of exposure. This novel relays exactly what the gruesome outcome of that exposure means.

Overall this “David and Goliath” type of tale proves that when banded together, the little man (or woman) can change the course of history and provide justice to those wronged by corporations.

Be sure to check out the film adaptation after reading!