The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women

Moore makes it clear that one of the book’s primary purposes is to serve as a memorial to the dial painters. Why does Moore believe that such a memorial is important? In your answer, cite details, quotations, and evidence from the text. Consider these points in formulating a response:

• What qualities in the women themselves does Moore seem to value? Why are they deserving of a memorial? What characterization evidence in the text supports your interpretation?
• What social good is promoted by memorializing these women? What thematic evidence in the text supports your interpretation?
• What personal and ideological impacts does Moore seem to hope this book will have on its audience? What evidence in the text supports your interpretation?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt asks students to consider Moore’s various purposes in writing The Radium Girls. “She feels sorry for them” and “She is mad about what happened to them” may be initial reactions to this prompt, but a thoughtful response requires deeper thinking about characterization, theme, and audience. Since each of these requires a review of the text for evidence, students might work cooperatively to divide up responsibility for the bullet points if time is short.