Tag: 5 stars

Books I loved! Highly recommended, usually great writing style, incredible characters, plot, and/or setting. Generally reserved for books that absolutely knocked my socks off.

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

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Title: The Radium Girls
Author: Kate Moore
Genre(s): Non-fiction
Rating: ★★★★★

This was one of the most captivating non-fiction books I have ever read, with the women and their stories coming to life (including in their own words) in a way that I rarely feel outside of fiction. Not surprising, then, to find out that Moore’s mission was to focus on the women at the center of this radium controversy.

It was deeply disturbing to read what happened to these women — women who contracted radiation poisoning while working with radium-infused paint — and how their suffering was minimized, ignored, or outright lied about in the name of profit. And it was incredibly moving to hear what they were willing to go through to get justice for themselves and for everyone coming afterwards. All in all, this was an enlightening read about an important part of the history of labor rights in the United States, told in a way that is sure to stay with me.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

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Title: The Dutch House
Author: Ann Patchett
Format: Audiobook
Genre(s): Literary fiction, Historical
Rating: ★★★★★

I picked up this book entirely because I’d heard that Tom Hanks does an incredible job narrating the audiobook; that’s 100% true and I’d recommend listening just to hear how a first-rate actor can really bring a story to life through narration. But this is also a moving story about a brother, a sister, their childhood home, and the ways their relationships (with each other and everyone around them) grow and change through their lives. We often think of a relationship as a thing that exists between two people, but this books illustrates how relationships exist in a web, and how changes in one relationship can pull on the other strands, shaping or loosening or weaving them tighter. The house also, unsurprisingly, has a strong presence throughout the book — unchanging while the family within it is remade over and over. A fascinating story about relationships, family, wealth, memory, and the ways that we build and rebuild our lives moment by moment.