The Elements of Marie Curie is one of the best biographies I’ve ever read. It’s not just a deeply personal look at Curie’s life. By tying the elements that were part of her work to her family and staff, we’re introduced to the many women she supported in the sciences, especially her daughter. Radium’s dangers have made it lose its allure. But publicizing Curie’s fostering of women in the lab will give her reputation a renewed glow.
The Elements of Marie Curie by Dava Sobel, (List Price: $30, Atlantic Monthly Press, 9780802163820, 2024-10-08)
Reviewed by Rosemary Pugliese, Malaprop’s in Asheville, North Carolina