In 1926, radium was a miracle cure, Madame Curie was an international celebrity, and luminous wristwatches were thelatest rage—until the girls who painted them began to fall ill with a mysterious disease. Inspired by a true story, RADIUM GIRLS traces the efforts of Grace Fryer, a dial painter, as she fights for her day in court. Her chief adversary is her former employer, Arthur Roeder, an idealistic man who cannot bring himself to believe that the same element that shrinks tumors could have anything to do with the terrifying rash of illnesses among his employees. As the case goes on, however, Grace finds herself battling not just with the U.S. Radium Corporation, but with her own family and friends, who fear that her campaign for justice will backfire. Written with warmth and humor, RADIUM GIRLS offers a wry, unflinching look at the American obsessions with wealth and the commercialization of science, even when human life is at risk.
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