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Today's book recommendation for Women's History Month is "Marie Curie" by Susan Quinn (1996).

Marie Sklodowska-Curie is a familiar name to just about all of us. We know from our school days that she discovered radioactivity, and was a two-time Nobel Prize winner. But for many of us, she remains a brief sketch from school history books.

This complete biography is satisfyingly full of detail about both her scientific work and her personal life. Starting with her youth in Russian-occupied Poland, going on to her student years in Paris, then to her partnership with her husband Pierre Curie, and their work with radioactive elements, which led to their first Nobel Prize.

After Pierre was killed in a street accident, she continued her scientific career, at a time when women in science were commonly sidelined and minimized. She was the first woman to receive a Doctorate from the Sorbonne, the first woman to serve as a Professor there, and in 1911, was awarded her second Nobel Prize, the first awarded solely to a woman.

During WWI, she designed portable X-ray machines for field hospitals, helping doctors locate and remove shrapnel and save lives. Much of the rest of her life was devoted to the study of radioactivity in medical research, including the use of X-rays for diagnosis of ailments, and the use of radioisotopes for treatment of cancerous tumors.

Truly one of the great women of science.

Link to book:
https://www.dacapopress.com/titles/susan-quinn/marie-curie/9780201887945/