Lauren Redniss (1) (1974–)

Reading Radioactive felt a little bit like poking through an artist's personal notebooks, the way words and images flow in and around each other. The art is beautiful to look at, but what was most remarkable to me was the way it harmonized with the story being told and elevated the narrative to something more intimate. There's also a lot of great asides about the science and the history surrounding the Curies and the far reaching effects of their research. A great book, recommended for lovers of art, science, history and good stories.… (más)

I love the format of this book! The mixture of text and art along with history and commentary is really compelling.

The ratings are all over the place for this book for a good reason. One's opinion of it depends on whether one likes the mixture of art and text and whether one likes how the nonlinear nature of the text. The history of Marie Skłodowska Curie, Pierre Curie, family, and friends is linear. However, the author inserts relevant historical commentary throughout the story which is what many people object to.

As of this review date we assign this book to all of our General Chemistry I students as required reading and so far the feedback has been very positive. Students tend to like the format and while some don't like the nonlinear text, they appreciate the information.

I don't recommend the Kindle version, however. Some people bought it and said it was very hard to read. I suggest the hardback version and make it a coffee table book to encourage visitors to flip through it,… (más)