This review summarizes the graphic novel "Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout" which chronicles the lives and scientific discoveries of Marie and Pierre Curie, the pioneers of radioactivity. It describes how their research on radioactive elements like radium earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics and led to both benefits for humanity through medical procedures as well as long-term harmful effects through uses like the atomic bomb. The graphic novel combines illustrations and historical artifacts to tell the story of the Curies and the legacy of radioactivity.

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BOOKSREVIEW
Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of
Love and Fallout
BOOK | LAURENREDNISS
BYPHILGUIE
Lauren Redniss' second graphic novel, Radioactive:
Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout, is a
chronicle of the lives of those devoted lovers and brilliant
scientists, and an exploration of the long-term effects of
their research. Starting out, the young Curies dovetail work and married life while studying the radioactive
properties of various substances, and their collaboration yields a Nobel Prize in Physics although their marital bliss
is all too brief. Once the destructive capabilities of elements such as radium are discovered, the book's narrative
begins cutting between the scientists' lives and the future consequences of their work. Many of the transitions have
an instinctive feel: a passage about Marie giving birth to her second daughter is followed by one about J. Robert
Oppenheimer, who was born that same year and would become known as the "father of the atomic bomb." This is
soon followed by the infamous bombing of Hiroshima. Throughout the book, Redniss combines her own
illustrations with photographs, maps, collages, and other artifacts. Her figure drawings are often distorted or
rendered with glowing blue ink, suggesting the damage that the Curies' radioactive discoveries were causing to
their own bodies. The effect is haunting, but to her credit, Redniss balances the deadly aspects of radioactivity with
some positives, touching on its use in life-saving medical procedures. Radioactive, the first graphic novel
nominated for a National Book Award in the non-fiction category, shows that the Curies' work resulted in both good
and bad, while providing a fascinating take on their legacy.
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TAGS: ATOMIC BOMB, BIOGRAPHY, CHEMISTRY, MARIE CURIE, MARRIAGE, NOBEL PRIZE, PHYSICS, PIERRE CURIE,
RADIOACTIVITY, SCIENCE,
FACTS: RELEASED: DECEMBER 21, 2010 (IT BOOKS); PAGES: 208
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