Who were the radium girls? They were women hired to paint numbers on watch dials. New employees learn they have to lick the brushes to get that perfect tip. None of them know that radium is a poisonous substance and will cause their health to decline. What's worse is that corporate knows, but they don't want to make changes or provide compensation.

Getting sick from your job. Even worse, companies know how to use the laws against you. But the women know they have to fight for their families, so their husbands and children won't be saddled with medical debt.

Heartbreaking, beautifully drawn, and insightful. This is amazing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Immersing myself in Cy's graphic novel adaptation of the historical saga was an emotional journey that left an indelible mark on my soul. Set against the backdrop of 1918 Orange, New Jersey, this poignant narrative unfurls the lives of the infamous "Ghost Girls"—working-class heroines ensnared in the perilous world of radium-infused watch dial painting.

From the very first page, Cy masterfully captures the essence of this harrowing chapter in history. The illustrations are not merely drawings; they are windows into the lives of these courageous women. The soft, greenish glow of the radioactive powder, the camaraderie among the workers, and the haunting transformation of their bodies—the visuals are a visceral testament to the tragic reality these women faced.

The narrative unfolds with a perfect blend of historical accuracy and artistic finesse. As the Ghost Girls innocently paint watch dials with radium, believing it harmless, the impending doom looms. The gradual degradation of their health, the agony of teeth falling out, and the jawbones crumbling—it's a heart-wrenching portrayal of the sacrifices made by these women in the name of their livelihood.

What makes this graphic novel truly remarkable is its ability to humanize the struggle. The Ghost Girls aren't just victims; they are resilient warriors fighting against corporate greed and societal indifference. As their health deteriorates, their voices rise, becoming the unyielding force that propels the workers' rights movement forward.

This graphic novel is more than a visual adaptation; it's a testament to the strength of the human spirit. It educates, empathizes, and ignites a flame of justice. This stands as a powerful tribute to the Ghost Girls, ensuring that their story—a painful chapter in workers' rights—resonates through time.

Book 171 of 200 ~ 2023

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

What a crazy real-life story!

Told with coloured pencil art, this shocking true story about the Radium girls is retold.

Holding decent paying jobs, their lip, dip, and paint technique ended up killing so many women who didn't realise they were slowly being poisoned by the radium they were digesting with each "lip".

These brave ladies fought for justice and ended up changing the futures of many.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Accessible history in graphic form!

The artwork in this book is truly beautiful, using limited colors it helps you focus on important details. There was much more nudity in the pictures than I would have expected.

Radium girls is based on the true story of female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting radium dials.
This graphic novel illustrated their struggle in an concise and accessible way, so that you could pick it up even without reading Kate Moore's book that this is based on. The art style and color scheme were very unique and added to the impact of the situation

Thanks to NetGalley and Letter Better Publishing Services for an egalley in exchange for an honest review

What a beautiful and poignant read! I have not read the full length non-fiction book of the same name and was stunned by the history Cy captured within the pages of Radium Girls. The art style is very Art Deco complementing that 1920s setting perfectly and the use of crayons allowed for a layering of color that truly stood out. My attention was grabbed from the first page and not let go until the final. If you are a casual fan of graphic novels this is a must read, if you have never read a graphic novel this is a must read, simply put this is a must read. A well deserved five stars for this artistic masterpiece!

The original Radium Girls is an interesting and sad story about the lives of the young women in Illinois affected by their work with radium. The premise for the comic is similar - tell the stories of the women who were wronged and pushed aside, even as their teeth fell out and their bones grew brittle.

This graphic novel was hilarious and well-drawn, definitely worth the money and the hype, and I hope will be successful!

A heartbreakingly cautionary story around corporate obligation, the legitimate framework and equity denied. The outlines were basic but viable. It's a fast examined but I would have acknowledged more points of interest and clarity. And I was staggered when things went south and we got a picture of the influenced young lady as the chapter openings/endings. It’s a destroying story, told nearly breezily much obliged to the quick pacing, but meaningful.

I love, love, loved the art style in this graphic novel. I approached this more as entertainment than a historical lesson, as I'm pretty versed already. I wish there had been more historical information, as I don't feel like I learned anything new, but I enjoyed spending time with these characters and felt it was a very solid book overall. It got a bit darker than expected from the cover, but expected if you know anything about the Radium Girls going in. I liked the contrast between the light, flowy art style, and the dark story. I felt this was a great way to tell their stories, and I had a lot of fun with this quick read overall.

Excellent historical graphic novel, perfect for readers who are interested in the time. The illustrations really make you feel the horrors that the Radium Girls went through.

I adore the muted, yet vivid colours that juxtapose a seemingly cheerful illustration with a serious subject matter. The social setting (prohibition, women winning the right to vote) was depicted extremely well. My heart broke for the characters, especially knowing the real story. Definitely worth the read.
Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC.

<i>Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

A quick but beautifully heartbreaking read. This was a fantastic adaption of the Radiums Girls' story, created with compassion and nuance. The illustrations were eye catching, with a gorgeous color palette, while still honoring the women who had died from radium poisoning.

Thanks to NetGalley and Iron Circus Comics for the e-arc of this graphic novel in exchange of an honest review.

Una historia gráfica bien narrada. Un grupo de amigas muy bien logrado, quienes deben aprender a ser fuertes y pelear juntas contra la difícil adversidad que se les viene.

Yo ya conocía a grandes rasgos lo sucedido en las fábricas de pintura de relojes durante la época del descubrimiento del Radio y su luminiscencia. Sabía que sin hacer las pruebas necesarias para confirmar o descartar su seguridad para la salud de las personas, aprovechando los efectos de la pintura de radio y su novedad para generar ganancias desenfrenadas. Se le agregó radio a los relojes, a cremas faciales, pastas de dientes e incluso a algunos alimentos como el chocolate o el agua mineral.

A los pocos años las personas comenzaron a darse cuenta que las trabajadoras de dichas fábricas de relojes comenzaron a morir por cánceres faciales, en los casos menos graves se les caían los dientes, y en los más graves incluso desarrollaban mutaciones que desfiguraban sus rostros.

Esta historia se centra en cómo un grupo de amigas trabajadoras pasan de ser las chicas más exitosas y alegres, el alma de la fiesta; a tener muertes prematuras, pérdida de dientes, pérdida de movilidad en las piernas, dolores impresionantes de espalda y heridas en el rostro. Todo esto sin nadie que quiera hacerse responsable por la negligencia de la que ellas habían sido parte y con el tiempo jugándoles en contra.

Es una lectura ligera por su formato y su extensión, pero es una lectura pesada en cuanto al tema que trata y su trasfondo socio-cultural de principios del siglo XX.

La recomiendo mucho!!

#RadiumGirls #NetGalley

Radium Girls is a historical graphic novel that tells the story of the women hired to paint watch dials with self-luminous paint in the 1920s. They came to be known as the “ghost girls” because of the radium dust that clung to their clothes, hair, skin, and teeth, making them glow.
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The premise of the story sounded promising. However, the story took off at such a fast pace, it felt rushed. The events kept rolling on, one after the other, with no explanation. There was not enough time or enough information about the characters to get to know them. In the end, despite the tragic and harrowing events the characters went through, everything felt relatively flat.
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Although I loved the art, I was quite confused about who was who. There were too many similarities between some characters. This made for a quick read, and that's about it.
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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very interesting comic on a story that I did not know: that of American female workers exposed to radium at the beginning of the 20th century. It is necessary to make these women and their struggle known. The illustrations are so beautiful and original too, made using only 8 colored pencils! The limited graphic palette gives a lot of depth to the drawings!

Review to come March 27th (sorry, my blog is just too full at the moment) on blog/goodreads/etc..

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

I already had my eyes on this one for a while and I am so excited that I could finally read this one! I love graphic novels about historical themes/events that happened in the past, and I vaguely can remember reading about these girls (and others like them). 

In this one we follow a group of girls they are all the greatest of friends, I loved how they took the new girl under their wings and she became fast friends with them. I loved seeing them have a great time together and do all sorts of things together.

They work at a local watch factory, a very prestigious job that all of them are excited to be part of. However, from the moment I saw the work techniques (wet with your lips, dip, paint and so on) and the mention of Radium... I just wanted to step in the book. Tell the girls that this is bad. That the glowing their bodies is doing isn't a teehee fun one. That making your teeth glow as you go to a party? The fun nickname of Ghost Girls. Isn't what you want. I was almost crying because I knew that these girls would find out the horrible consequences very soon.  

And horrible it is. Teeth start hurting. People start having pains. Legs are deforming. Other parts are going bad. And soon death starts. We see how the friend group is affected, how there are arguments when their first friend died. Which was horrific, but later we find out how all those lies were done mostly by the company and that apparently even the friends weren't immune to them. I was just so sad for these girls, because at first they thought it was just nothing, but then each one of them is affected. It starts with teeth. Then with pain. With pregnancies going wrong. Then some of them end up in bed forever. I was horrified. Because people KNEW. People KNEW. The doctor once tried to warn them but as the company did their things the girls didn't think of it further and apparently the good doctor didn't think of doing anything (and yes, I wanted to kick him in his butt, so much).

I loved that, despite everything, these girls kept being fierce. Kept the hope up. Laughed at times when they could. They were determined to get their dues. To show the world the wrongs that happened with the Radium Girls. That they aren't the only ones. Everyone is affected. The people who work in these factories, but also people outside who use radium as a product for health/beauty. They want to warn people. And I was just cheering for them, praying, hoping. 

The art was gorgeous and I love how big part of the story it was. At times it told the story. I really love the art style even though at times I had a hard time keeping track of who is who as sometimes they looked very similar. And I was stunned when things went south and we got a picture of the affected girl as the chapter openings/endings. I was almost crying as that just broke my heart.

All in all, this is HIGHLY recommended. Bring tissues. Get something to throw, because you will want that. Read this!

I am planning to add this to our collection as we have the "Radium Girls" young readers edition, which will be the perfect companion for reluctant readers. It's an excellent adaptation of the book giving enough information about the incredible true story of the young women exposed to the "wonder drug" radium and their struggle for justice in the 1920s.

Radium Girls by Cy is a historical graphic novel inspired by real events. It’s 1918 in Orange, New Jersey, and everyone knows the “Ghost Girls.” The proud holders of well-paying jobs at the local watch factory, these working-class young women gain their nickname from the fine dusting of glowing, radioactive powder that clings to their clothes after every shift painting watch dials. The soft, greenish glow even stains their lips and tongues, which they use to point the fine brushes used in their work. It’s perfectly harmless . . . or so claims the watch manufacturer. When teeth start falling out, followed by jawbones, the dial painters become the unprepared vanguard on the frontlines of the burgeoning workers’ rights movement. Desperate for compensation and acknowledgement from the company that has doomed them, the Ghost Girls must fight, not just for their own lives but the future of every woman to follow them.

Radium Girls is an engaging and honest look at what some of the young women that worked with radium went through. I had already read quite a bit on the subject, so I went in knowing most of the facts, but this graphic novel made it all more real by giving the people faces, personalities, and lives. I will admit that at first I was not a big fan of the art style, but it was so well done and matched the time period of the work so well that it quickly won me over. I found that the story did more than just teach readers about what happened with radium, but it also dealt with other parts of everyday life that are universal. Like friendship, family, trying to find your way and your self, and butting heads with those that have different opinions and judge the world differently than you. This was an all around well written, researched, and drawn book and I would recommend it for learning about the Radium Girls and for just being a great read.