Radium Girls [graphic novel]

The muted color palette does so much storytelling! I also love the 1920s setting and how the art remains loyal to it in the comic's design. I read it in a few minutes, really, but the story stuck with me a while after. I remember reading a short article about the real-life women that inspired this graphic novel, but how the author portrays the protagonist's humanity and joy makes their story even more heartbreaking. It's sad that they had to suffer and advocate for themselves, despite being obviously wronged by their employers and the justice system, to make sure organizations like OSHA and workers' unions became stronger, but it's a fascinating story nonetheless.

Well-researched and based on the true story of the women who suffered from radiation sickness due to the lack of workplace safety precautions or labor protections while painting watches for the U.S. Radium Corporation. I was not expecting to be so moved by this deceptively simple colored-pencil comic, the beauty of its illustrations, and the expressive, lovely characterization of the young, vibrant women who became the Radium Girls.

In haunting, radium-green and purple colored pencil, Cy tells the story of the women who worked in New Jersey painting watch dials with radium paint - and who, as a result, sickened and died of radium poisoning. Cy writes of the women's friendship and the ways they entertain themselves - at the movies (where they glow in the dark), at speakeasies (it's during Prohibition), and at Coney Island. Ultimately, they win a settlement from USRC - but although this covers their medical expenses, there is no cure for radium poisoning.

See also: The Radium Girls by Kate Moore (nonfic), Radioactive by Lauren Redniss (graphic novel)

reviewed from uncorrected egalley

historical fiction graphic novel (1920s New Jersey/New York) - based on the true stories of the women factory workers who became terminally ill from ingesting radioactive paint and whose lawsuit against the manufacturer improved conditions for future workers.

soft colored pencil illustrations bring to life the personal stories of these women who fought for workers' rights; lovely and solid and vital and true.

Based on a true story, Radium Girls is set in 1910s New Jersey. In Orange, everyone knows the « Ghost Girls ». These women hold well-paying jobs at the local watch factory. Everyday, they paint watch dials, using a radium based solution. These working-class young women gained their nickname from the fine dusting of glowing, radioactive powder that clings to their clothes after every shift and the strange glow that emanated from their teeth and lips in the dark. Presented as harmless by the watch manufacturer, the girls didn’t worry about these secondary effects… until their bodies started showing other signs of side effects.

Radium is a powerful testimony about women fighting to get their rights recognized. Cy has done an amazing show more job, both of the story and the art. The simple use of color pencils in the illustrations accentuate the shocking atmosphere of the story. The focus is really the story of these women, and how the lies told by their employer totally changed their lives.

From the beginning to the very end, we see how these women evolve, deeply affected by the effects of radium. This historical graphic novel does a very great job depicting that important part of labor history in the US. It was an extremely interesting and pleasant read that I really loved. show less

Radium Girls retells a story that thankfully has gotten more coverage in the last few years: that of the radium watch dial painters of the 1910s and 1920s. The author's choice to use colored pencil makes for a stunning read, and one that matches well with the concept of ghosts and glowing.

My biggest issue was that I had trouble distinguishing some of the characters at first, as there are quite a few who look similar and the novel isn't long enough for each to form a strong impression in the reader's mind individually. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing - their combined efforts are what make the end of the story - but it definitely was a distraction for me from the rest of the story itself.

Overall, though, this is a great show more adaptation of a story that has seen more coverage in recent years. I think the art style makes it stand out from other graphic novels and other interpretations of the same story, and ultimately I think the combination provides another avenue for folks to learn about these important women.

Thank you to Letter Better and NetGalley for providing a copy for review. show less

A sort of dramatized book report of The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore, this graphic novel focuses on the friendship and daily lives of the young women who were poisoned by the radioactive paint they used in their job of painting glow-in-the-dark watch dials. The first half of the book is all chats and hang-outs and having fun with the fact that their bodies now glow in the dark.

The second half of the book zips through their subsequent health issues and lawsuits with a vague timeline that covers many years without much specific detail.

The only standout page shows the women downstairs in the factory casually and ignorantly licking their radioactive paintbrushes to get a fine point as instructed by show more their supervisor, while the men in a laboratory upstairs wear masks and gloves while handling the paint ingredients with tongs.

I highly recommend skipping this or using it as a stepping stone to tackling Moore's book and getting the full gripping, horrifying, and outrageous story. show less