In Ève Curie's biography of her mother, she wrote: "There are, in the life of Marie Curie, so many great moments that one is tempted to tell her story as a legend." This new biography by Dava Sobel (The Glass Universe, Longitude, Galileo's Daughter) traces not only the legend of Curie's scientific breakthroughs, but her impact on the presence of women in the sciences. The Elements of Marie Curie paints a human portrait not of an isolated genius, but of a woman who existed in and built scientific community. She was committed to the expansion of knowledge for all even as she sought to stare down Nature itself and determine what made it up.
Sobel analyzes her subject with care and through detailed historical and personal accounts, following Curie's life from childhood to death. The biography's chapters are named after people who were close to her or who played a major part in her life, and with the element or research that arose from that person crossing paths with Curie. As such it makes more visible not only the number of young women Curie helped to achieve their own scientific discoveries, but also showcases more than 20 further scientific developments born from the work that Marie and Pierre Curie conducted on radium and radioactivity. The Elements of Marie Curie is a necessary reminder of Curie's remarkable contributions to science, and how one person, using the opportunities given to them, can open doors for other people and reshape entire fields. This is an essential read for anyone who values works that highlight women in the sciences. --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer