Status
Available
Genres
Publication
St. Martin's Griffin (2013), Edition: Reprint, 248 pages
Description
"Marie Curie was the first person to be honored by two Nobel Prizes and she pioneered the use of radiation therapy for cancer patients. But she was also a mother, widowed young, who raised two extraordinary daughters alone: Irene, a Nobel Prize winning chemist in her own right, who played an important role in the development of the atomic bomb, and Eve, a highly regarded humanitarian and journalist, who fought alongside the French Resistance during WWII. As a woman fighting to succeed in a male dominated profession and a Polish immigrant caught in a xenophobic society, she had to find ways to support her research. Drawing on personal interviews with Curie's descendents, as well as revelatory new archives, this is a wholly new story about Marie Curie--and a family of women inextricably connected to the dawn of nuclear physics"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Lila_Gustavus
What an amazing book! Despite it being a non-fiction one and centering around scientific subjects, I blazed through the whole 256 pages in one day (I'm a very slow reader and have two toddlers to contend with, so it is an accomplishment that doesn't happen often) and I only want more. Especially
Understandably, to all of a sudden read an entire book in which science is one of the major topics with unswerving attention feels like some kind of magic charm performed by the writer.
A book hasn't made me this excited to be reading it for a long time. Marie Curie (or as she has always been called in Poland, Maria Sklodowska-Curie) was an exceptional woman, exceptional scientist and an exceptional mother to Irene and Eve. There has been criticism of her long periods of time spent away from her daughters (including almost never being there for their birthdays, important graduation dates and such) but the truth is she raised two wonderful women, strong, capable and very much accomplished in their own right, who had always been loving and devoted daughters, never having said a bad word about their mother. Shelley Emling took great care to show how difficult a life Marie had after her husband's death and what she had to contend with in order to be all she had been. Indeed, one could say that Marie was the prototype of today's woman who believes we can be both successful as mothers and career women. I loved Marie's bluntness about it as well which applies to modern critics of those who choose to work and raise children:
"I agree, of course, that it is not easy for a woman to bring up children and work out of the home. But (...) I don't think that he has considered the rich women who leave their children to a governess and give most of their time to social visits and fashion. "(p.36)*
In other words, let's not be hypocrites.
For a short book, there were a lot of things I learned about both Marie's personal life and the world of science she lived in. There are interesting passages about Einstein, Edison, Bohr et al that made me want to seriously consider doing more reading on their lives as well. And maybe I will one day.
What I most want to do and what Marie Curie and Her Daughters has inspired me to do, is to learn as much as I can about other women, friends of Marie Curie, who were just as exceptional as she but of whom I hardly know anything such as Missy Meloney and Hertha Ayrton. They were pioneers and crusaders in the female world of the first half of 20th century and we would all do well to learn from them.
As my final thoughts I'll offer this: Marie Curie and Her Daughters reminded me and kept me in awe of how proud I am to be Polish, to be American, and most importantly to be a woman.
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more of Ms. Emling's writing. She makes physics and chemistry approachable and easy to understand. As a matter of fact, for the first time in my life I was riveted by science and scientific research and discoveries. All my life, when it comes to science, I have suffered a severe case of ADD.Understandably, to all of a sudden read an entire book in which science is one of the major topics with unswerving attention feels like some kind of magic charm performed by the writer.
A book hasn't made me this excited to be reading it for a long time. Marie Curie (or as she has always been called in Poland, Maria Sklodowska-Curie) was an exceptional woman, exceptional scientist and an exceptional mother to Irene and Eve. There has been criticism of her long periods of time spent away from her daughters (including almost never being there for their birthdays, important graduation dates and such) but the truth is she raised two wonderful women, strong, capable and very much accomplished in their own right, who had always been loving and devoted daughters, never having said a bad word about their mother. Shelley Emling took great care to show how difficult a life Marie had after her husband's death and what she had to contend with in order to be all she had been. Indeed, one could say that Marie was the prototype of today's woman who believes we can be both successful as mothers and career women. I loved Marie's bluntness about it as well which applies to modern critics of those who choose to work and raise children:
"I agree, of course, that it is not easy for a woman to bring up children and work out of the home. But (...) I don't think that he has considered the rich women who leave their children to a governess and give most of their time to social visits and fashion. "(p.36)*
In other words, let's not be hypocrites.
For a short book, there were a lot of things I learned about both Marie's personal life and the world of science she lived in. There are interesting passages about Einstein, Edison, Bohr et al that made me want to seriously consider doing more reading on their lives as well. And maybe I will one day.
What I most want to do and what Marie Curie and Her Daughters has inspired me to do, is to learn as much as I can about other women, friends of Marie Curie, who were just as exceptional as she but of whom I hardly know anything such as Missy Meloney and Hertha Ayrton. They were pioneers and crusaders in the female world of the first half of 20th century and we would all do well to learn from them.
As my final thoughts I'll offer this: Marie Curie and Her Daughters reminded me and kept me in awe of how proud I am to be Polish, to be American, and most importantly to be a woman.
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LibraryThing member mabith
This is a wonderful book, picking up a part of Curie's life that isn't usually paid much attention - both in terms of tracking her scientific pursuits after her second Nobel prize, and in terms of her relationship with her children.
She's such an interesting person, for a lot of reasons, and her
There's a lot to love in this one, between the information given and the way Emling shares Curie's story with us. She balances the writing very well. This is a real Curie, rather than the two-dimensional idea of her many of us have. It also speaks on her profound impact in numerous spheres.
Highly recommended.
She's such an interesting person, for a lot of reasons, and her
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relationship to motherhood is interesting too, especially in light of being away from her children so often. I knew nothing about her daughters' lives, and they are just as worthy of study.There's a lot to love in this one, between the information given and the way Emling shares Curie's story with us. She balances the writing very well. This is a real Curie, rather than the two-dimensional idea of her many of us have. It also speaks on her profound impact in numerous spheres.
Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member pennyshima
My school years were apparently those when the remarkable achievements of Marie Curie and _both_ her daughters were not in the lexicon as they are today. That is the only reason I can conceive as to why no one ever handed me a biography or suggested I gain more than a cursory knowledge of Mme
Emling's slim book is approachable and has given me a framework and desire to search out and learn more about these women. While she focuses on the people, she does not shy from the science, describing it in an understandable way. Overall the book is organized in a mostly logical manner, though I felt the final few chapters describing Irene and Eve's later years was not as polished as the beginning of the book.
There is quite a lot of information in these pages and the story of the three Curie women should not be overlooked.
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Curie. Or, they just assumed this bookworm had already read everything there was on her. During my final term in college I took a course on Science, State Power, and Ethics. While that course was well over a decade ago, I do not recall anything on the Curies in the syllabus, though I did gain much familiarity with the scientists of the Manhattan Project.Emling's slim book is approachable and has given me a framework and desire to search out and learn more about these women. While she focuses on the people, she does not shy from the science, describing it in an understandable way. Overall the book is organized in a mostly logical manner, though I felt the final few chapters describing Irene and Eve's later years was not as polished as the beginning of the book.
There is quite a lot of information in these pages and the story of the three Curie women should not be overlooked.
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LibraryThing member akblanchard
Marie Curie and her two daughters Irène and Eve were all remarkable women. Marie is best known, along with her husband Pierre, for the discovery of natural radioactivity. Marie’s older daughter Irène and her husband Frédéric’s won a Nobel prize for their work with so-called “artificial”
The author notes that many biographies of Marie Curie end her winning her first Nobel Prize in 1903, or with Pierre’s death in 1906. This book opens with the “second act” of Marie’s life. In 1910 the lonely widow had an affair with a married colleague. The ensuing scandal made Marie the subject of tabloid gossip. She won her second Nobel Prize in 1911, but she still encountered sexism and disapproval in the French scientific community. For example, she was denied admittance to a prestigious scientific society because she was a woman, and an unseemly one at that.
A classic introvert who preferred her laboratory to any other place on Earth, Marie nonetheless had to work hard to obtain funding, equipment and materials for her work. Much of the book recounts Marie’s fundraising tours of the United States, which she untook with the help of her close friend, American journalist Missy Meloney.
Emling tries to make the case that Marie was an excellent mother in addition to being a world-class scientist, but the truth is that Marie worked long hours and was often away from home. Her two daughters spent a lot of their growing up years missing their only living parent. Marie was always closer to Irène than to Eve, and the younger daughter’s loneliness in her quoted letters is palpable. Marie wrote frequent letters, but her idea of motherly love was sending along math problems for the girls to solve.
Irène and Eve were not close, and after Marie’s death in 1934 they lead separate lives. Like her mother, Irène was devoted to science, but she was also involved in left-wing politics. Her husband Frédéric was a Communist party leader as well as a renowned physicist; his political views made the prominent couple unpopular in the United States during the Cold War. Eve, on the other hand, married an American man and became a U.S. citizen.
Marie Curie and Her Daughters is well worth reading if, like me, you are not familiar with Marie Curie’s life beyond the 1943 movie Madame Curie with Greer Garson. The book is a quick read, and the significance of Marie’s and Irène’s groundbreaking work is well explained. This book has its quirks, however. The author has a strange aversion to adverbs. Instead, she turns proper names into nouns by putting an article in front of them, and then assigns an adjective (for example: “a modest Marie” rather than “Marie modestly”). This stylistic tic gets annoying when it appears on every page. Also, the text leaves the grave accent off of “Irène”; Marie Curie’s elder daughter’s name is rendered as “Irene” throughout the book. Oddly, Irène's husband Frédéric gets to keep both of his acute accent marks. Despite these minor issues, this book is a fitting tribute to three exceptional women.
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radioactivity, the scientific breakthrough that made the many modern uses of radiation possible—from cancer treatment to atomic bombs). Younger daughter Eve was not a scientist but made a name for herself as an award-winning writer and patron of UNICEF. Shelley Emling tells their stories in the admiring biography Marie Curie and Her Daughters: The Private Lives of Science’s First Family.The author notes that many biographies of Marie Curie end her winning her first Nobel Prize in 1903, or with Pierre’s death in 1906. This book opens with the “second act” of Marie’s life. In 1910 the lonely widow had an affair with a married colleague. The ensuing scandal made Marie the subject of tabloid gossip. She won her second Nobel Prize in 1911, but she still encountered sexism and disapproval in the French scientific community. For example, she was denied admittance to a prestigious scientific society because she was a woman, and an unseemly one at that.
A classic introvert who preferred her laboratory to any other place on Earth, Marie nonetheless had to work hard to obtain funding, equipment and materials for her work. Much of the book recounts Marie’s fundraising tours of the United States, which she untook with the help of her close friend, American journalist Missy Meloney.
Emling tries to make the case that Marie was an excellent mother in addition to being a world-class scientist, but the truth is that Marie worked long hours and was often away from home. Her two daughters spent a lot of their growing up years missing their only living parent. Marie was always closer to Irène than to Eve, and the younger daughter’s loneliness in her quoted letters is palpable. Marie wrote frequent letters, but her idea of motherly love was sending along math problems for the girls to solve.
Irène and Eve were not close, and after Marie’s death in 1934 they lead separate lives. Like her mother, Irène was devoted to science, but she was also involved in left-wing politics. Her husband Frédéric was a Communist party leader as well as a renowned physicist; his political views made the prominent couple unpopular in the United States during the Cold War. Eve, on the other hand, married an American man and became a U.S. citizen.
Marie Curie and Her Daughters is well worth reading if, like me, you are not familiar with Marie Curie’s life beyond the 1943 movie Madame Curie with Greer Garson. The book is a quick read, and the significance of Marie’s and Irène’s groundbreaking work is well explained. This book has its quirks, however. The author has a strange aversion to adverbs. Instead, she turns proper names into nouns by putting an article in front of them, and then assigns an adjective (for example: “a modest Marie” rather than “Marie modestly”). This stylistic tic gets annoying when it appears on every page. Also, the text leaves the grave accent off of “Irène”; Marie Curie’s elder daughter’s name is rendered as “Irene” throughout the book. Oddly, Irène's husband Frédéric gets to keep both of his acute accent marks. Despite these minor issues, this book is a fitting tribute to three exceptional women.
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LibraryThing member mykl-s
Shelley Emling widens my knowledge of Marie Curie, of her two daughters, and their effect on science and culture and politics in the twentieth century. This book is not as much of a science book as I had hoped, and I don't read enough biography to judge how well it is written from that standpoint.
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Still, I would not have wanted to miss reading Marie Curie and Her Daughters. Show Less
LibraryThing member banjo123
I read Eve Curie’s biography of her mother back when I was a teenager, and was fascinated by it. Curie had such an interesting life on multiple levels; personally, politically and professionally. (The first woman to win a Nobel prize, she won Nobel prizes in both Physics and Chemistry. Her older
This book filled in some things that Eve left out; for instance Marie’s affair with a married man. The book is pretty specific about the ways that Marie was sometimes neglectful of her daughters due to her obsession with science. However, her parenting seemed to work out overall; she was close to both daughters, who were both interesting and dynamic women.
This book cover’s Curie’s later life and her relationship with her daughters; as well as her daughter’s subsequent careers. I would have preferred a more comprehensive book, as Curie’s early life in Poland and her relationship with her husband, Pierre Curie, are also really interesting.
The book is solidly written and worth reading especially if you are interested in the history of women in science. It also covers the relationship of the scientists to the political/historical climate. However, I did feel that the author suffered from more hero-worship than makes for a really good non-fiction book.
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daughter followed her into the field of science, and was also a Nobel Prize winner.)This book filled in some things that Eve left out; for instance Marie’s affair with a married man. The book is pretty specific about the ways that Marie was sometimes neglectful of her daughters due to her obsession with science. However, her parenting seemed to work out overall; she was close to both daughters, who were both interesting and dynamic women.
This book cover’s Curie’s later life and her relationship with her daughters; as well as her daughter’s subsequent careers. I would have preferred a more comprehensive book, as Curie’s early life in Poland and her relationship with her husband, Pierre Curie, are also really interesting.
The book is solidly written and worth reading especially if you are interested in the history of women in science. It also covers the relationship of the scientists to the political/historical climate. However, I did feel that the author suffered from more hero-worship than makes for a really good non-fiction book.
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LibraryThing member cbl_tn
Shelley Emling begins her biography of Marie Curie and her daughters where others might end it - with the awarding of Marie Curie’s second Nobel Prize. When readers meet Marie, she is a widow and single mother raising two young daughters. Emling immediately launches readers into the scandal
Emling seems to have relied heavily on interviews with Marie Curie’s granddaughter, Hélène Langevin-Joliot, and access to the family’s papers. While some of the details may not have been published before, they won’t necessarily generate a lot of excitement for most readers. Life was all about science for Marie and for her oldest daughter, Irène, and there didn’t seem to be much of anything else to their lives. I was most interested in the effects of the publicity surrounding Marie Curie’s affair, the effect of World War I on Marie’s research and the role she and Irène had during the war, the family’s travel to the United States, Irène’s own Nobel Prize (shared with her husband), Irène and her husband’s discoveries that in part led to the discovery of nuclear fission, and the impact of World War II. I was less interested in the details from their correspondence and detailed itineraries of their travels that amounted to little more than dates and names of officials and organizations they visited.
Since this book skips most of Marie Curie’s early life and the years of work for which she was awarded the Nobel Prizes, this wouldn’t be the best place to start reading about her. The book is best suited for readers who are already somewhat familiar with her work and her legacy.
This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program.
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surrounding Marie’s affair with her married colleague, Paul Langevin. The “private life” of Curie and her daughters consists mainly of Curie’s affair with Langevin, the family’s domestic arrangements, the girls’ education, the letters exchanged between mother and daughters, and occasional interactions with Marie’s siblings. Emling makes much of Marie’s friendship with American journalist Missy Meloney, but Meloney is scarcely mentioned outside of the chapters about Marie’s fund-raising trips to the United States.Emling seems to have relied heavily on interviews with Marie Curie’s granddaughter, Hélène Langevin-Joliot, and access to the family’s papers. While some of the details may not have been published before, they won’t necessarily generate a lot of excitement for most readers. Life was all about science for Marie and for her oldest daughter, Irène, and there didn’t seem to be much of anything else to their lives. I was most interested in the effects of the publicity surrounding Marie Curie’s affair, the effect of World War I on Marie’s research and the role she and Irène had during the war, the family’s travel to the United States, Irène’s own Nobel Prize (shared with her husband), Irène and her husband’s discoveries that in part led to the discovery of nuclear fission, and the impact of World War II. I was less interested in the details from their correspondence and detailed itineraries of their travels that amounted to little more than dates and names of officials and organizations they visited.
Since this book skips most of Marie Curie’s early life and the years of work for which she was awarded the Nobel Prizes, this wouldn’t be the best place to start reading about her. The book is best suited for readers who are already somewhat familiar with her work and her legacy.
This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program.
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LibraryThing member MarysGirl
I enjoyed this biography. There isn't much written about Curie's later life or her relationship with her daughters. This book fills the gaps. I was totally unaware that her oldest daughter and granddaughter followed in her footsteps as well-known and important scientists. If not for WWII, Irene
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Curie and her husband Frederic would likely have cracked the atom. They were leaders in France's nuclear energy scene post war. I was even more surprised to learn about Curie's younger daughter Eve, who was a significant war correspondent, lived in the US, and died only recently (in 2007) at the age of 102. I would love to know more about her. My only quibble is the biographer's "fan girl" treatment. It's obvious the author is a deep admirer which always makes me a little suspicious, that less than savory incidents are left out. I have no evidence of that with this book, it's just the tone of the writing. Altogether a satisfying read and recommended for the general reader who wants to know more about these remarkable women. Show Less
LibraryThing member Oregonreader
Emling's book focuses on the lives of Marie Curie and her daughters, Irene and Eve, in the years following her second Nobel prize. Curie was struggling to continue her research, a Pole in xenophobic France and a woman in a field dominated by men. Her life changed dramatically when she met American
Well-researched and well-written, this book reminds us of what an impact the Curies made on the world. It is a shame that Marie's discoveries seem to have been forgotten to a large degree. My only complaint would be that Emling seems to have skirted anything negative, such as Curie's affair with a married man after her husband's death, and focused only on positive achievements and relationships. But still a fascinating book.
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Missy Meloney, who arranged a tour of America, where Curie was celebrated as a hero, a woman showing what women were capable of. She met with President Harding and received funds to continue her research. A second visit in 1929 was not quite as successful but gave her the funds to open her institute in Warsaw. Oldest daughter, Irene, was an outstanding physicist in her own right, receiving a Nobel prize with her husband for discovering how to produce artificial radiation which opened the way to radiation therapy in medicine, atomic energy, and the atom bomb. Younger daughter, Eve, was a music and theater critic. During WW II, she became a special correspondent for Allied newspapers and worked to get American support for occupied France.Well-researched and well-written, this book reminds us of what an impact the Curies made on the world. It is a shame that Marie's discoveries seem to have been forgotten to a large degree. My only complaint would be that Emling seems to have skirted anything negative, such as Curie's affair with a married man after her husband's death, and focused only on positive achievements and relationships. But still a fascinating book.
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LibraryThing member zzshupinga
Review copy provided by LibraryThing
In this short, but fascinating book, Shelley Emling tells the story of one of the most renowned science families, Marie Curie and her daughters. Often portrayed as an introvert or subservient to her husband Pierre Curie, Emling shows that Marie was a power to be
Emling provides a fantastic look into the life of a science pioneer and her influence and relationship with her two daughters. Both of whom were instrumental in their own ways, Irene for her involvement in nuclear fission, and Eve as a writer and humanitarian. Emling's writing style is engaging and makes the reader feel like they're sitting across from the Curie's having a conversation with them. Even better the style and tone is casual, so that a reader doesn't need a scientific background to enjoy the book.
Emling holds nothing back, allowing readers to see the good and the bad of the Curie women, and provides a truthful look into their lives. I would highly recommend this book to all readers, as there is something in it for everyone. I give the book 4 out of 5 stars.
In this short, but fascinating book, Shelley Emling tells the story of one of the most renowned science families, Marie Curie and her daughters. Often portrayed as an introvert or subservient to her husband Pierre Curie, Emling shows that Marie was a power to be
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reckoned with, not only redefining science for generations to come, but being a humanitarian as well. Emling draws on personal letters and interviews from Curie's only granddaughter, providing an in-depth look into this family as never before seen.Emling provides a fantastic look into the life of a science pioneer and her influence and relationship with her two daughters. Both of whom were instrumental in their own ways, Irene for her involvement in nuclear fission, and Eve as a writer and humanitarian. Emling's writing style is engaging and makes the reader feel like they're sitting across from the Curie's having a conversation with them. Even better the style and tone is casual, so that a reader doesn't need a scientific background to enjoy the book.
Emling holds nothing back, allowing readers to see the good and the bad of the Curie women, and provides a truthful look into their lives. I would highly recommend this book to all readers, as there is something in it for everyone. I give the book 4 out of 5 stars.
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LibraryThing member mlvanmeter-read
In the beginning I was concerned I wasn't going to be able to finish the book. It didn't seem to be grabbing me. But before I knew it, I was completely involved in the story of Marie Curie. I was touched by her humility (her daughters reported that they didn't know their mom was famous until her
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initial tour of the US), her drive, her single-mindedness, her gift to science and mankind, her passion... What a feat that her husband, daughter, and both sons-in-law were also Nobel Prize winners. Great read... left me wanting to learn more. Show Less
LibraryThing member cmbohn
An unevenly written account of the Curie women and their relationship. I liked reading more about Marie and the woman behind the scientist, and I really enjoyed learning more about Irene. I'm glad I got a chance to read this book.
sorry it took me so long to post this review - I thought I had
sorry it took me so long to post this review - I thought I had
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already added it! Show Less
LibraryThing member bangerlm
Really interesting look at the life of Marie Curie and her daughters. I had no idea her eldest daughter continued working on the same sort of stuff and won a Noble Prize as well. I know that Marie and I would have been good friends when I read that she despised the French school system for bogging
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children down too long in the classroom and not providing enough physical exercise and fresh air. 100 years later and that is still a problem, probably even worse. Show Less
Original language
English
Original publication date
2012
Physical description
248 p.; 6.1 inches
ISBN
1137278366 / 9781137278364
Local notes
biography
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