The Radium Girls

The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women

By: Kate Moore

Narrated by: Angela Brazil

The year was 1917. As a war raged across the world, young American women flocked to work, painting watches, clocks, and military dials with a special luminous substance made from radium. It was a fun job, lucrative and glamorous - the girls themselves shone brightly in the dark, covered head to toe in the dust from the paint. They were the radium girls.

As the years passed, the women began to suffer from mysterious and crippling illnesses. The very thing that had made them feel alive - their work - was in fact slowly killing them: They had been poisoned by the radium paint. Yet their employers denied all responsibility. And so, in the face of unimaginable suffering - in the face of death - these courageous women refused to accept their fate quietly and instead became determined to fight for justice.

Drawing on previously unpublished sources - including diaries, letters, and court transcripts as well as original interviews with the women's relatives - The Radium Girls is an intimate narrative account of an unforgettable true story. It is the powerful tale of a group of ordinary women from the Roaring 20s who themselves learned how to roar.

©2017 Kate Moore (P)2017 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Radium Girls

I really enjoyed the book. I thought the story was compelling and informative. I did not care for the narrator. It was read in a robot-like voice , it made me wish that I picked up a hardcopy of the book instead.

Compelling and relevant.

The story draws you in as you learn about the lives of the women the book describes. The narrator is lack luster, and irritating at times.

A Must Read (or listen to)!!

An incredible true story beautifully told.. I had no idea this travesty ever occurred. I am buying a copy for my daughter right now. Everyone needs to hear this story.

beautifully written

This is a wonderful book about the heart wrenching story of young and happy girls.
I did not like the narrator with her too often stitled inflections. ugh! I'm sure she is great with other sillier titles. But not with this title.

A good read

Disturbing account. Very informative about corporate America and corrupt big business putting profit above people. We are still dealing with this.
I sped up the narrator as she spoke slowly...worked great at a higher speed.

Rhe book was absolutely fantastic!

The book itself was fantastic. The narration was atrocious! Do yourself a favor and just read it. I couldn't decide if it was a human reading it a bad computer program. luckily I bought the book version and only had to endure it for about 30 minutes.

Couldn’t even listen to it

The narrator it terrible!! I had to return the book after listening for 5 minutes because I couldn’t take it anymore. I’ll read the book because listening to it was not pleasant.

Annoying narrator

This is a heartbreaking true story about how little was known about the dangers of radiation. I was unaware of all of this until I listened to this book.
I found it hard to pay attention at times as I found myself frequently distracted by the voice of the narrator. Her voice reminds me of Alexa, almost robotic at times and her oddly placed inflections are puzzling. So annoyed by this was I that I don’t think I’ll listen to anything she narrates despite how interesting the topic may be to me.

Amazingly well done story - narration frustrating

This story was so well written. You feel you get to know the women. I highly recommend.

However the narration is soooo frustrating. She does a good job except you can hear her swallowing throughout the whole book off and on and it’s disgusting. Very odd putting.

Great book .. terrible narration

Really good book, heartbreaking, tragic. Thankful these women endured and changed workplace safety today.

The narration is terrible. Aside from the lip smacking and robotic voice (which I could tolerate), the narrator read like an over-dramatic reading of a ghost story - it’s like I could see her eyes go wide and the flashlight shine under her face “the radium was in her BONES!”