The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science

This disappointing history from science writer Sobel (The Glass Universe) comes up short in examining how Marie Curie (1867–1934) kick-started dozens of women scientists’ careers at her University of Paris laboratory. After her husband’s death in 1906, Curie replaced him as laboratory director and began hiring women assistants. Her protégés included Ellen Gleditsch, who determined the half-life of radium, and Marguerite Perey, who discovered the element francium. Unfortunately, Sobel doesn’t provide much discussion of Curie’s working relationships with her assistants, making each scientist’s biographical chapter feel curiously siloed from the others. This is likely because, as Sobel notes, a “vaguely diagnosed kidney ailment” brought on by prolonged radiation exposure kept Curie out of the lab for long stretches of time (several would-be protégés quit over the years, “frustrated by the lack of contact with Mme. Curie”). Sobel highlights the enraging sexism women scientists had to endure (Harriet Brooks worked in Curie’s lab around 1906 while taking a break from her teaching duties at Barnard College, which had forced her to break off her engagement because the dean believed a married woman couldn’t adequately serve both her students and her husband), but Curie’s role in the women’s lives remains largely opaque. This feels like a missed opportunity. Photos. Agent: Michael Carlisle, InkWell Management. (Oct.)