Marie Curie: A Biography

(Hardback)

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Marie Curie (1867-1934) is one of the most important woman scientists in history, and one of the most influential scientists - man or woman - of the 20th century. Curie postulated that radiation was an atomic property, a discovery that has led to significant scientific developments since. She was also the first person to use the term "radioactivity." Her perseverance led to the discovery of two new elements, polonium and radium. This combination of creativity and perseverance netted her two Nobel prizes, one in physics and the second in chemistry. This book, however, looks at more than her scientific achievements. While Curie is often portrayed as a stern, one-dimensional woman so totally committed to her science that she was incapable of complex emotions, the truth is that the opposite is the case. Marie Curie: A Biography covers her entire life, beginning with her early life and education in Poland under the oppressive rule of Tsarist Russia. T his is followed by her education at the Sorbonne in Paris, where she earned the equivalent of two master's degrees - one in physics and a second in mathematics; her marriage to Pierre Curie, with whom she collaborated on much of her scientific work; the personal scandal that surrounded Marie in the aftermath of Pierre's tragic death; the Nobel prize awards, and the detractors who believed that her work was actually performed by her husband; Curie's work in establishing mobile X-ray units during World War I, and the establishment of radium institutes to study radiation. Running throughout there is the tension between radium as a positive discovery and the health risks that working with it presents. The book includes a timeline of important events in Curie's life and a bibliography of important primary and secondary sources.

Reviews

"The book tells the story of Marie Curie's life. Her struggles against poverty and prejudice are emphasized, and throughout the book the author makes many links that may be familiar to modern teenagers. The importance of Marie Curie's pioneering work in radioactivity is described and, while the author is careful to describe and credit Pierre Curie's contributions, she explores the difficulties that Marie Curie had in gaining recognition as a scientist from the establishment....[t]he meticulous bibliographies at the end of each chapter are a model of good practice for students."-School Science Review
[A] top pick for high school to college-level collections.-MBR Internet Bookwatch
[P]rovides a fast-paced and well-documented portrait of Marie Curie and the world surrounding her....[t]his book creates a delicate balance between her personal and professional life. The author is careful in her conclusions from available records. This book is a wonderful addition to those narratives about an accomplished scientist.-The American Biology Teacher
The book tells the story of Marie Curie's life. Her struggles against poverty and prejudice are emphasized, and throughout the book the author makes many links that may be familiar to modern teenagers. The importance of Marie Curie's pioneering work in radioactivity is described and, while the author is careful to describe and credit Pierre Curie's contributions, she explores the difficulties that Marie Curie had in gaining recognition as a scientist from the establishment....[t]he meticulous bibliographies at the end of each chapter are a model of good practice for students.-School Science Review
"A top pick for high school to college-level collections."-MBR Internet Bookwatch
"Provides a fast-paced and well-documented portrait of Marie Curie and the world surrounding her....this book creates a delicate balance between her personal and professional life. The author is careful in her conclusions from available records. This book is a wonderful addition to those narratives about an accomplished scientist."-The American Biology Teacher
"[P]rovides a fast-paced and well-documented portrait of Marie Curie and the world surrounding her....[t]his book creates a delicate balance between her personal and professional life. The author is careful in her conclusions from available records. This book is a wonderful addition to those narratives about an accomplished scientist."-The American Biology Teacher
"[A] top pick for high school to college-level collections."-MBR Internet Bookwatch

Author Bio

MARILYN BAILEY OGILVIE is Curator of the History of Science Collections and Professor of the History of Science at the University of Oklahoma. She is the co-editor of Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science (2000) and author of Women and Science: An Annotated Bibliography (1996)