The Radium Girls The Dark Story of America's Shining Women

Das Buch erzählt die dunkle Geschichte von damaligen im dunklen leuchtenden Farben/ Uhren. Der schockierende Sexismus und die Rücksichtslosigkeit mit der diese Frauen behandelt wurden darf nie vergessen werden. Ihre Geschichten sollten jeder zumindest einmal gehört haben.

** 3.5 stars ** || This is a tough one to review. Mostly, because I'm exeptionally angry after reading this book. Angry with people in power whose dearest wish is to hold on to that power and the wealth involved no matter the cost. How comfortable the lay on ever growing piles of money while tragedy affects merely the lowly people working for you. I'm fuming! I'm angry at people like Sabin von Sochocky who KNEW the paint was dangerous while handled the way it was, yet he only cared enough to warn one employee once (as much as the record shows) to not point the brushes with her mouth, as it would make her sick - just for him to then turn around in the court case of the exact employee he warned and refuse to support her and the others claims that the company hadn't fulfilled their responsibility to ensure the workers safety (though I'd go as far as to say that no amount of safety precautions available in this day and age would have protected them from all the radiation). I'm angry at the officials and law writers that seemed to have been cast under a slowpoke spell. How on earth can it be that the dial painters won the case against the companies yet the township handled the bits and pieces of the torn down buildings so carelessly? So carelessly indeed that the radiation levels in Ottawa only declined when they finally set out to clean up the town for good. Ultimately, I'm angry with people in general that are like the before mentioned. As long as they're nicely cusioned by their green bills, why should they care that the people less fortunate working for them are suffering? Even after repeated warnings from doctors and experts. It's deflating knowing we have maaany people like this in power still. "How quickly we forget" indeed, Ms Moore. In all this, it's inspiring to read about the strength of these women fighting for their lives, rights and the lives and rights of those to come. Last but not least this book makes you wonder what we are ingesting, doing, breathing that is advertised with such emphasis on it being beneficial and good for us, all the while making us sick. An important read that has a few things that made me give it "only" 3.5 stars, but I think one should still read it, as those things can (and should be in my opinion) overlooked in favour of the message within.