This book is amazingly terrifying. A horrific work of [non]fiction. The descriptions seem sensationalized, at first. Google these ladies. If you can stomach it. Those aren’t images that will easily go away. If you are easily frightened by graphic content, then you might avoid further research. Read more below.

I applaud this author for telling the “real” story on behalf of these women and their families.

There is no vague way of saying someone’s jaw has literally dissolved to the point of not being able to eat or speak; afraid to eat due to bone fragments getting in the way. It’s horrible experience for all of the victims involved.

It’s absurd how many uses there were for radium. “Radium water” for the rich? They literally made this into a premium drink using the exact element as a $2000 watch on their wrist, and the main ingredient in prescribed medications. Radium toothpaste AND makeup!? Yet, “harmless,” but it will also kill insects. What!? How does that work?

This is one job you’d want to get fired from, but the more exposure someone had, ie, the faster and more efficient you were, the higher you were paid with the potential to advance. What a sad situation.

“Her head was rotting, but she was still alive.” If that doesn’t give you perspective about the severity then I’m not sure what will. These women experienced a slow and torturous walking death before anyone knew what was happening. I’d compare it to Chernobyl but these women had no idea about the risk associated with something as simple as painting luxury watches.

These corporate monsters went as far as to hire their own physicians to say there was nothing wrong with the women while they literally stood before them looking like creatures from a sci-fi movies. They’d perform “random” exams to further prove how ethical they were by only choosing healthy women. When the sick women did die, they did everything they could to obtain the dead bodies so they couldn’t be autopsied by the families. Chernobyl, much?

It gets so much worse than that. A LOT of corruption from the companies and government to avoid paying hospital bills; yet, continue to get richer by selling a toxic product. Unbelievable story.

Have you read it? What is the most horrific work of fiction you have read? 5/5 🔖