“The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women,” written by Kate Moore, will be featured at the Adult Book Discussion on Tuesday, March 19, 7:00 p.m., at the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County, 201 N. Mulberry Street.
In 1917, as a war raged across the world, young American women flocked to work, painting watches, clocks and military dials with a special luminous substance. It was a fun job, lucrative and glamorous. The girls themselves shone brightly in the dark, covered head to toe in the dust from the paint.
As the years passed, the women began to suffer from mysterious and crippling illnesses. The very thing that had made them feel alive, their work, was in fact slowly killing them: they had been poisoned by radium paint. Their employers denied all responsibility. And so, in the face of unimaginable suffering, in the face of death, these courageous women refused to accept their fate quietly, and instead became determined to fight for justice.
The program is free and open to the public. Copies of the book are available at the main library. Although participants are encouraged to read the book, that is not a requirement to attend the program. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call the main library at 740-392-2665 (BOOK), visit www.knox.net or email communityrelations@knox.net.