
Luminous: The Story of a Radium Girl
Samantha Wilcoxson
Category: Drama
The story of Catherine Donohue and the other Radium Girls of Ottawa, Illinois was crying to be told. Catherine courageously fought the radium industry to ensure that others would not share her suffering. With the support of her family and friends, this quiet Catholic girl became a warrior for social justice in the years between World Wars.
Catherine Donohue’s life was set on a new course when she applied for a job as a dial painter at Radium Dial. The pay was great, and her co-workers became her best friends. But a secret was lurking in the greenish-grey paint that magically made things glow in the dark.
When Catherine and her friends started becoming sick, this shy Catholic girl stood up to the might of the radium industry, the legal and medical communities, and townspeople who told her to be quiet. Would she be too late?
Catherine’s quest for social justice in the era between World Wars is emotive and inspiring.