Radium Girls

by D.W. Gregory

"In 1926, radium was a miracle cure, Madame Curie an international celebrity, and luminous watches the latest 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."

-Dramatic Publishing

"At night, I'd lie in bed, and I'd see my dress. Hanging on the back of the closet door. All aglow ... So much light, Ma. So much light! And I never once questioned. I never once asked! Don't you see? They knew I wouldn't. That's what they were counting on."