I've been such a fan of Dava Sobel's work since reading Longitude in college. The Elements of Marie Curie was a beautifully written narration of Curie's life told in Sobel's prose that made it hard to put down. Super well researched and gives credence to an important figure in the scientific community.

An interesting read on the life of Marie Curie. Well written and easy to follow, chronicling her life and scientific achievements from beginning to end. The story also does a good job of giving credit to the achievements of others at the time and how they benefitted the work of Curie. I did not realize how focused Marie Curie was on her daughters, which makes her scientific advancements that much more incredible.

This is a great biography for those who are interested in science and Marie Curie. Sobel very obviously did her research about the life of Marie. We follow her from Poland to France and beyond and get a brief but thorough look into her life and where she started to where she ended.

An important book. It details the life of Marie Curie and many other female scientists in the developing exploration of radioactivity. An important contribution to documenting the impact women scientists have made on the world. Thank you especially to the author, thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I didn't know much beyond the basics about Marie Curie before reading this book, so I was eager to dive in and learn more about this remarkable woman. The book did not disappoint! It is incredibly readable (which I find isn't always true of biographies) and did a wonderful job of putting her life into context with everything that was going on at the time, including highlighting the work done by other female scientists.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

'I had been prepared to meet a woman of the world, enriched by her own efforts...Instead, I found a simple woman working in an inadequate laboratory and living in a simple apartment, on the meagre pay of a French professor'.

Marie Curie is a name that has long epitomised women's contribution to science. Dava Sobel takes us back to Marie's (born Marya and nicknamed Manya) childhood and education in Poland, before moving to the Sorbonne in Paris to further her studies. Enrolling in 1891 as 1 of 23 female students, among 2,000 men, to study science, little did she know that she had truly found home. Although her experimental work was always at the forefront of her life, she found love with her research partner Pierre and had two daughters. And, as focused as she was on her work, she still always found time to give back to the scientific community and other women in science in particular - including training female x-ray technicians with only basic schooling in WW1 to meet the skyrocketing demand of those wounded in action.

Sobel's, 'The Elements of Marie Curie' is, indeed, a multi-faceted perspective look at Curie's life, research and accolades. It is well-researched and, although bound by the science of Curie's discoveries, equally balanced by the biography of her personal life. As acclaimed as Marie Curie is, I still discovered so much more about this truly talented lady.

'...few persons contributed more to the general welfare of mankind and to the advancement of science than the modest, self-effacing woman whom the world knew as Mme. Curie'.

The Elements of Marie Curie is for anyone interested in the history of science, the trailblazing women of science, or curious about the process involved in making scientific discoveries. Marie Curie is a name that many of us know from school, but we rarely learn more than the fact that she discovered radium. In reality, she was a bigger scientific powerhouse than textbooks lead us to believe.

Dava Sobel has crafted a timeline of the life of one of the great minds of science. From her early days as a student to her later years of carrying the mantle of discovery and progress, Marie's life is a treatise on how women were viewed in science, and how much they contributed to the body of knowledge we rely upon today. The sheer number of female scientists that worked in her (and Pierre's) lab, and then later went on to continue their own research is astounding, and something that is not often reflected on. It was also fascinating to see the changes in the handling of radioactive materials that occurred even over Marie's own lifetime.

The story here is Marie's, but it is also framed by the people (the women) who came into her space in Paris and their own discoveries under her mentorship. We get a picture of the "boys club" of science, and what Marie had to go through to get her research presented. We also see into her home life, her love for Pierre and their two daughters (who become significant in their own right). We see her deep ties to Poland and her family, and the human person behind the celebrated historical figure.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie is probably the most famous woman in science, but when I discovered this book, I realized I didn't know much about her. She was born in Poland, studied in France, married and worked with Paul Curie, won two Nobel Prizes - and that was basically it. This biography fills all the gaps in the knowledge of an average reader - it is a very thorough and detailed work, based on deep research. I must admit that I prefer popular science books to this kind of classic biography, but for fans of the genre it will be a treat.

Thanks to the publisher, Grove Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

A thorough review of Marie Curie's life and especially her scientific discoveries. The detailed science was a little overwhelming but the author did an exceptional job of making it understandable to the average reader. It was impressive to learn how many female scientists Madame Curie mentored, including her own daughter, during her exceptional life. Highly Recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press

Dava Sobel is an exceptional science writer who makes complicated subjects accessible. In this latest book, The Elements of Marie Curie, Nobel dives into the life and work of Marie Curie — she was truly remarkable. We generally know her as the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, but she faced so many obstacles in her life and work that it’s amazing she made it that far. Sobel does a terrific job of explaining the science behind Curie’s work and places Curie in a time of historical and cultural change. The result is an excellent read that keeps drawing one in.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for a pre-release of The Elements of Marie Curie.

If you’re a female interested in STEM, this is a MUST read. Learn how Marie Curie really paved the path for women scientists. I found this book very inspirational!

Dava Sobel is one of my favorite science writers. In my opinion, Longitude and Galileo's Daughter rank as classics to be treasured for all time. In her latest book, The Elements of Mari Curie, I found a much greater appreciation for this tiny genius and her work. I was also impressed by the large number of scientists, especially women, that she mentored and nurtured. The impact she had while experiencing such personal and physical pain is astounding. She is truly a hero and role model. Having no background at all in physics or chemistry, I don't think I always fully understood some of the laboratory projects, and the number of her protegees was sometimes overwhelming, but the amount I did garnish from this reading was weighty. I think a second reading may be in order.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for making an advance copy of this title available for an honest review.

'The Elements of Marie Curie' shines a light on the life of one of history's most remarkable women. As the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, Curie's story is one of unparalleled determination and brilliance in the face of immense personal and professional obstacles. Sobel weaves the scientific and the personal, painting a rich portrait of Curie that celebrates her pioneering work while also exploring her humanity.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Grove Atlantic for an advance copy about a scientist who found her calling early, changed our society, helped bring more women into science, and persisted no matter what society demanded from her.

Growing up I knew my parents had a weird relationship, because unlike most of my friends and family they seemed to like each other. This was weird to me. Most of my friends would complain about their parents, their parents would complain in front of us about their kids, and each other. My parents never did. My father always told me my mother was not just his wife, and he was lucky for that but his best friend. I am sure there were problems, but it never showed. They loved to work together, sort of like lab partners, seeking the secret to a good life. They were lucky to have found each other, as lucky as Pierre and Marie Curie were, though my parents glow was more of love than the glow of the Curie's from radiation. This support allowed Curie a freedom that was rare for her time, a freedom that allowed her to discover much about the world, and bring other women into the labs to share in her achievements. The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science by Dava Sobel looks at the life, work, and legacy of Marie Curie, who lit the way, both literally and figuratively, to the world we live in today.

Maria Salomea Skłodowska was born in Warsaw, Poland during a time that the country was under the dominion of Russia. Maria's parents had lost much of their wealth in a bad business deal, but made sure that their children were given the best of educations. Maria loved to learn, and was a gifted student, but of course at the time her options were limited, and her interest in science could only go so far. With her sister young Maria, moved to France, attending higher education classes, and changing her name to Marie. Marie met Pierre Curie, a young man of some intelligence, who was older, but kind of wandering. As partners both began to work in metals, where they began to find some interesting results. Soon they were married, working together by day, working on papers at night, and joined by a daughter. Their work in radiation gained them a Nobel Prize, one Pierre had to push to get Marie's name on. Just as everything was going well, with a new lab planned, Pierre was killed in a street crash, leaving Marie almost broken in spirit and hope. However there was a lab, and the work, and soon Curie was bringing in new assistants, many of them women who had difficulties in other countries finding assignments. And many more achievements awaited Curie.

My first encounter with Dava Sobel was an audiobook version of Longitude, a book I really got into for its mix of science and the people involved. Sobel has a unique gift in being able to write about science and make it understandable, and to write about people and make them not just understandable but human. Many of these people who have achieved so much, its had to remember they were human, and could be petty, mean, vulnerable, and strong equally. Sobel also sets the scenes well, describing the difficulty of being a woman, something that continues to this day. One woman being denied a teaching job for being married, because she would spend more time on her husband than the teaching of her students. I guess men don't care about their families, and more for students who pass by year after years. I enjoyed this book quite a lot, not just for the science, but for the story of Pierre and Marie. A really well-written and interesting book.

A book for those who love to read about science, strong women, the times that people lived in. Also readers who just enjoy very good nonfiction will have much to enjoy here. This is a good starting place for those new to Dava Sobel, or for fans like myself.

[BOOK REVIEW] Dava Sobel - The Elements of Marie Curie 

Big thanks to @groveatlantic and @netgalley for an eARC of this book!

This book begins with a truth:

“Even now, nearly a century after her d*ath, Marie Curie remains the only female scientist whom most people can name”.

Marie Curie was a trailblazer for women in science. She has indebted the world in so many aspects that calling her one of the greatest scientists of all time would be an understatement.

While I was familiar with Marie Curie there were so many aspects of her life I knew nothing about. Thankfully, Dava Sobel takes us a on a journey of her life. This is my second book by this author, the first being The Glass Universe, in which she also gave voice to women in science and which I also kindly recommend.

But back to this book. We follow Marie Curie from her childhood in Poland all the way to Paris where she went to study because in Poland women were banned from attending University. It’s incredible how she achieved such incredible things so fast. It was a great time for great discoveries, and nearly every person mentioned in this book is a name I easily recognized. The central theme of this book is Madame Curie’s devotion to the science she was doing. She spent every free moment in the lab, extracting and describing new elements, risking her own life to research a new field in physics, the one of radioactivity. When WW1 started, she didn’t waste her time and invented mobile X-ray units to help wounded soldiers.

Also, this book tells not only about Madame Curie but also the women who came through her lab, who were pioneers in science and research. She didn’t make differences between s*xes, she gave all the women the chance to work in science, knowing what it’s like to be discredited simply for being a woman.

This is very good and insightful book, it doesn’t go too hard on science so it’s easy to follow and it’s a fascinating insight into the world of Madame Curie and the birth of new science. I recommend!

This biography of the famous scientist also highlights the many women who would work in her Paris labs and their further careers in science. The author had a huge scope of material to incorporate - Curie's personal and professional lives, the state of science at the time, the danger of radioactive materials, the accomplishments and lives of so many other female scientists, and the X-Ray work and training during World War I. A fascinating and inspiring book.

If, like me, Marie Curie and her legacy fascinates you, look no further! After reading Half Life by Jillian Cantor last year, I have been searching for a non-fiction book about Marie Curie that is fun and engaging to read. I'm thrilled to share that this book delivered! Marie Curie lived a fascinating life, and she touched the lives of many female scientists during her career. I really enjoyed learning more about her and her proteges in this very well-researched book! Highly recommend!

Marie Curie (1867-1934) is arguably one of, if not the, best known women in science. She is the only person to have won a Nobel Prize in two different fields (physics in 1903 with her husband Pierre and chemistry in 1911 by herself). Her husband and collaborator died in a Paris street accident in 1906, leaving her with two young daughters. She took his place as professor of physics at the Sorbonne, devotedly raised her children, drove a vehicle she outfitted with x-ray equipment to the front lines of World War I, and inspired generations of women to pursue scientific careers.

The acclaimed Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author, Dava Sobel approaches her biography of Marie Curie through this last, lesser-known aspect of her life and career. With chapters titled with the names of female proteges as well as elements or isotopes discovered, Sobel astutely weaves a narrative of Curie’s remarkable discoveries and fame alongside the women who became her legacy – from Norway’s Ellen Gleditsch, who determined the half-life of radium, and France’s Marguerite Perry, who discovered the element francium, to Curie’s own daughter Irene, who won the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Sobel does a good job explaining Curie’s scientific achievements to a non-scientific audience. She also describes the cognitive dissonance that all “radioactivists” lived with, because far from being an unmixed good, radioactivity (even during Curie’s lifetime) became recognized as a dangerous, potentially lethal entity. Curie herself suffered from various radiation-induced illnesses (numb fingers, kidney ailments) and eventually succumbed to aplastic pernicious anemia.

While the author catalogues the many lives that Curie helped to transform, it is disappointing – and a missed opportunity – that Sobel doesn’t probe Curie’s working relationships with her students and assistants. This makes each scientist’s biographical chapter feel oddly isolated from the others. In part, this is likely due to Curie’s many absences from the laboratory due to illness brought on by prolonged radiation exposure. Nevertheless, Curie’s role in the women’s lives remains largely opaque. This feels like a missed opportunity to examine how a woman-led laboratory nurtured new talent.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Atlantic Monthly Press for the ARC in exchange for this review.

Dava Sobel's The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science offers another portrait of one of the most iconic figures in the history of science. Marie Curie, the only woman to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields—Physics and Chemistry—famously displayed persistence and resilience in the face of significant societal and scientific challenges. Sobel's inclusion of Curie's work during World War I, where she equipped a van with X-ray equipment to assist soldiers on the front lines, adds depth to Curie's character, showcasing her dedication to using science for humanitarian purposes.

However, the book falls short in several key areas. One notable issue is the absence of Polish diacritics when referring to Polish names, including Maria Skłodowska's own name, which detracts from an authentic portrayal of her heritage. Additionally, while Sobel touches on the theoretical implications of Curie's discoveries, the treatment of these aspects feels somewhat superficial. Moreover, despite the promise of the book's title, it does not significantly address the enduring issue that Marie Curie remains the most recognizable female scientist even a century after her death. This is a missed opportunity to delve deeper into why other women scientists have not achieved the same level of recognition and what can be done to change that narrative.

Overall, The Elements of Marie Curie is an engaging and informative read, particularly for those new to Curie's story or interested in the history of women in science. However, readers looking for a more in-depth exploration of the scientific theories behind Curie's work or a more critical analysis of her legacy may want to seek out another biography.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was a fascinating and easy-to-read biography. Like the other non-fiction works by Dava Sobel that I have read, this book is understandable to the layperson but still includes enough scientific detail to keep you intrigued and curious. The Curies were an amazing couple and left an amazing everlasting legacy and two very successful daughters. I highly recommend.