GLOW by Megan E Bryant
GLOW tells the heartbreaking story of the young women who went to work for the companies that used radium to make glow in dark objects, mostly watch faces for the soldiers of WWI.
My grandmother worked briefly for The Radium Dial company in Ottawa Illinois. Fortunately she remained healthy although she went every year of life (she died at 96) to The Argonne National Laboratory for extensive testing. GLOW is unflinching in relating the horrific illnesses that plagued the radium workers. Although GLOW is aimed at young adult audience, adult readers will also react favorably to this tale.
Bryant uses the true stories of actual workers to underscore her fictionalized work. Sisters Lisa and Lydia help support their family by the “easy work and good pay” offered by the companies. This mostly untold story is also related in THE RADIUM GIRLS by Kate Moore.
Very sensitive readers may be upset by the descriptions (accurate) of the results of “tipping” to paint tiny numerals on watch faces with the radium based paints.
5 of 5 stars ( )

There is an old English idiom that goes something like this, "A picture is worth a thousand words" and following the origin of a few odd antique paintings, acquired with her limited savings, by seventeen year old, Julie, She becomes involved in search of a mysterious artist bearing the initials LG, found within the art work that is only visible when darkness falls. The glowing-hidden details appear under the existing painting from the War era and this unknown artist has something tragic and sadly horrible to reveal to the world.

Author, Megan Bryant, has won the Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2017 selection; She reveals to us that radium-glowing-chemical, resulted in the eventual painful and deadly illnesses of thousands of innocent young women, who were actually assigned to factories by the US government and private companies, during WW1; They encouraged young women to join in the war efforts to aid their loved ones fighting overseas, by hand painting the faces and hands of production watches and clocks with a glow in the dark based paint. At this time, girls were naively lured by the novelty of using this unique glow-effect paint as a party and night-out accessory. Many of these women painted themselves, created patterns on dresses, painted their nails and even teeth, to initiate glances on the dance floor and clubs at night. The unfortunate result of using this particular paint by factory workers, was to unknowingly expose themselves to deadly radiation poisoning that caused slow agonising death from malignant cancerous tumours and organ failures.

Drama also unfolds into Julie's life in this story, as she allows people closest to her into this deadly historic war event of 1915.

This historical genre adds a contemporary edge as it flashes events between past and current settings, all seen through the eyes of Bryant's two main characters.

A terrific read and great story telling by Megan Bryant. ( )