The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women

Discuss how Moore uses the body to communicate her message. How are the women’s bodies “used” by the companies, legal process, doctors, and researchers to further their agendas?

How is scientific knowledge suppressed, withheld, and uncovered in this book? How is science manipulated for the interests of the various parties in the book?

What role do Moore’s intense descriptions of the women’s suffering play in communicating their stories? Could she have left out the gruesome details while still conveying her message?

What role does the media play in this book? How did the media’s coverage and/or lack of interest influence the lawsuits?

Moore’s book functions as a memorial to the Radium Girls, as she believes they should be remembered more widely than they are. What is the role of a memorial of this kind? What should it include or honor?

The book illustrates the effects of war and its influence on society, especially through industry. Describe and analyze this influence citing specific examples from the book.

There is a basic tension in the book between executives and workers and their differing interests. Evaluate The Radium Girls through a Marxist lens as a fundamental struggle between workers and capitalists. How is this dynamic replicated or troubled in Moore’s narrative?

How did the gender of the workers influence how the case was treated? How might the radium companies and the press have reacted if the workers were men?