During the dark years of the First World War, radium dazzled as the wonder drug of the medical world and the darling of beauty products. From glowing body lotion to sparkling tonic water, its allure captivated a nation. Meanwhile, young women worked in radium-dial factories, their bodies dusted in glittering radium as they painted luminous clock faces. They were the “shining girls,” and they were the luckiest—until they weren’t.
When these women began to fall mysteriously ill, the factories dismissed their claims, ignoring the gruesome truth of radium’s deadly poison. As their health deteriorated, the brave shining girls stood together, exposing corporate greed and launching a battle for workers’ rights that changed history.
A powerful tale of courage and resilience, this is the story of the women who refused to be silenced.
