Plot: The book provides a biology for Marie Curie, one of the Western world's greatest female scientists. She displayed remarkable abilities in science as a child and eventually revolutionized physics and chemistry. With the help of her husband, she made amazing discoveries regarding radiation and radioactive materials. Perhaps her greatest contributions involved her work with radium. The work would eventually kill her. Like nearly all people at the time, she did not use protective equipment when working with highly radioactive materials. Until recently, researchers needed to sign wavers before using her notes, due to the high levels of radiation they released. Still, she remains a giant of science.
Genre: Biography, Science
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Similar Titles: Giants of Science series, The Lives of series
Personal Thoughts: The biography offers a solid introduction to historical and scientific concepts. Yet, I like how it presents women best. Marie Curie was not a feminist, yet she managed to show she could contribute to a male-dominated portion of society. I think readers benefit from such an example. She was not trying to be a political or social revolutionist. Curie was just a patriotic Polish scientist determined to understand a bizarre material. Yet, through doing what she enjoyed, her contributions began to change how the science community viewed women. I like that.
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