Radiant Girl

Radiant Girl
Author: Andrea White
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008
Genre: Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, Chornobylʹ, Ukraine, 1986
ISBN: 9781933979236

A young girl's birthday is usually full of surprises and joy, but for Katya Dubko, it is truly the end of the world as she knows it. Combining history and fantasy, this coming-of-age story follows the life of Katya, an 11-year old Ukrainian girl whose life is turned upside down after the Chernobyl disaster. Katya lives in a village near Chernobyl and her father works at the nuclear power station. Her family is steeped in Ukrainian folklore and Soviet patriotism and she believes that the station is a magical factory, full of angels who push buttons to create electricity. When Katya is sent into the forest to play while her family prepares for her birthday, she meets a mysterious, other-worldly boy named Sammy, who tells her about the meltdown at Chernobyl. Sammy helps reveal the truth not only about the station, but about blind Soviet patriotism as well, and Katya's innocent world is destroyed. With Sammy's help, she realises she is no longer a little girl in a fairy tale but has become the author of her own life.

Radiant Daughter

Radiant Daughter
Author: Patricia Grossman
Publisher: Northwestern University Press
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2010-08-31
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0810151995

It is 1969 in Chicago and Elise Blazek is about to venture off to college and a bright future, much to her mother's delight. As a Czech immigrant who never got the chance to go to college, Irena vowed to give her daughter every opportunity for success and it looks like it has finally paid off. But when Elise is arrested for vandalizing an upscale high-rise lobby, we get the first glimpse of a young woman facing a long, frightening battle with mental illness. Over the next 30 years Elise cycles through mania and depression, all the while taking physical and financial risks and surrendering to delusions and paranoia. Out of love for her daughter, Irena does what she can to help Elise only to find herself enabling and participating in the madness. Grossman tells a powerful story that is both heartbreaking and hopeful about the enduring bond between a mother and daughter despite generational differences, cultural disparities, and a tenacious mental illness constantly pushing the strength of their bond to the limit.

Radiant

Radiant
Author: Liz Heinecke
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2021-02-16
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1538717379

Part hidden history, part love letter to creative innovation, this is the true story of an unlikely friendship between a dancer, Loie Fuller, and a scientist, Marie Curie, brought together by an illuminating discovery. At the turn of the century, Paris was a hotbed of creativity. Technology boomed, delivering to the world electric light, the automobile, and new ways to treat disease, while imagination blossomed, creating Art Nouveau, motion pictures, and modernist literature. A pivotal figure during this time, yet largely forgotten today, Loie Fuller was an American performance artist who became a living symbol of the Art Nouveau movement with her hypnotic dances and stunning theatrical effects. Credited today as the pioneer of modern dance, she was perennially broke, never took no for an answer, spent most of her life with a female partner, and never questioned her drive. She was a visionary, a renegade, and a loyal friend. In the early 1900s, she heard about Marie Curie's discovery of a glowing blue element and dreamed of using it to dazzle audiences on stage. While Loie's dream wouldn't be realized, her connection with Marie and their shared fascination with radium endured. Radiant is the true story of Marie Curie and Loie Fuller, two revolutionary women drawn together at the dawn of a new era by a singular discovery, and the lifelong friendship that grew out of their shared passion for enlightenment.

Radiant Human

Radiant Human
Author: Christina Lonsdale
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2021-04-27
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 0063142694

A revolutionary exploration of the relationship between human energy and color, visualized through more than 200 photographs from the “the Annie Leibovitz of aura photography” (New York Times) and a “Dutch painter on acid” (Vogue). The prodigal daughter of a visionary painter mother and a two-time commune founding father, Christina Lonsdale was raised by her parents on a commune in Taos, New Mexico, at the dawn of the digital age in the 1990s—formative years when science (the advent of the worldwide web, the introduction of the cell phone) and spiritualism (New Age) occupied equal bandwidth. Having her aura photograph taken awoke a passion that combined her spiritual and technological interests (an aura is an energy field emanating around a living being comprised of mental, spiritual, and emotional levels; an aura camera captures the colors of the aura on Polaroid film). With her first aura camera—the Auracam 6000—she began photographing and analyzing family and friends, then in 2014, took her skills and equipment on the road. Radiant Human includes hundreds of Polaroids selected from the author’s vast archives of some 45,000 images she has taken over a six-year period. The book explores the nature of the human aura, and the notion that aura images may not only capture a person’s essence in that moment, but reveal characteristics of their overall disposition. As Lonsdale describes what all the colors suggest, considering their many variations and nuances, and in relationship to each other. To illuminate her discoveries, she shares her subjects’ stories throughout the book, sometimes accompanied by a single shot, other times by a series of images taken over a period of year. She also includes profiles of well-known people she has photographed including Chloë Sevigny, Joseph Altuzarra, Busy Philipps, and SZA. Lonsdale makes clear that we are not just physical bodies, but collections of energy as well—giving consideration to the relationship of how we present ourselves to the world and who we are as well as the potential reality of the space in between. Her aura work is a study of humanity, and the energy we radiate and receive—the good, the bad, and the weird vibes—helping us understand better who we are.

The Radium Girls

The Radium Girls
Author: Kate Moore
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Total Pages: 585
Release: 2017-04-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 1492649368

A New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Charts Bestseller! For fans of Hidden Figures, comes the incredible true story of the women heroes who were exposed to radium in factories across the U.S. in the early 20th century, and their brave and groundbreaking battle to strengthen workers' rights, even as the fatal poison claimed their own lives... In the dark years of the First World War, radium makes gleaming headlines across the nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community. From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright. Meanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these "shining girls" are the luckiest alive — until they begin to fall mysteriously ill. And, until they begin to come forward. As the women start to speak out on the corruption, the factories that once offered golden opportunities ignore all claims of the gruesome side effects. And as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America's early 20th century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers' rights that will echo for centuries to come. A timely story of corporate greed and the brave figures that stood up to fight for their lives, these women and their voices will shine for years to come. Written with a sparkling voice and breakneck pace, The Radium Girls fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the "wonder" substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to life-changing regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives...

The Greatest Sci-Fi Classics

The Greatest Sci-Fi Classics
Author: Jules Verne
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 3904
Release: 2023-12-02
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

The Greatest Sci-Fi Classics anthology brings together an unprecedented assemblage of narrative ingenuity, showcasing the evolution and diversity of the science fiction genre. Within its pages, readers will traverse a landscape of literary experimentation, from the gothic futurism of Mary Shelley to the riveting adventures of Jules Verne, and the dystopian visions of H.G. Wells. This collection highlights the genres capacity to critique societal norms, explore philosophical quandaries, and imagine the uncharted territories of the future, making it a significant compendium for both its historical breadth and its thematic depth. The anthology not only celebrates the well-known pioneers but also illuminates the contributions of lesser-known authors whose works have been foundational to the genres development, creating a rich tapestry of speculative fiction. This selection of authors represents a wide array of backgrounds, from the groundbreaking scientific romances of H.G. Wells to the psychological depth of Edgar Allan Poe, and the feminist utopias of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. These authors, drawn from the 19th and early 20th centuries, collectively contributed to the shaping and challenging of the boundaries of the genre. Their works, reflecting the technological optimism and anxieties of their times, engage with themes of imperialism, science, morality, and identity, offering insights into the complex relationship between humanity and its creations. The anthology thus serves as a dialogue among some of the most influential voices in science fiction, mapping the genres evolution in response to shifting cultural landscapes. The Greatest Sci-Fi Classics is essential reading for anyone interested in the origins and development of science fiction. It invites readers to explore a multitude of perspectives, narrative techniques, and thematic explorations, making it an invaluable resource for scholars and enthusiasts alike. This anthology provides a unique opportunity to engage with the works that have not only entertained but also profoundly influenced our understanding of the world and the myriad possibilities of the future. Through its comprehensive scope and the variety of its contributions, this collection encourages a deeper appreciation and critical engagement with the science fiction genre.

A Small Price to Pay

A Small Price to Pay
Author: Graham Broad
Publisher: UBC Press
Total Pages: 301
Release: 2013-10-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 0774823666

We often picture life on the Canadian home front as a time of austerity, as a time when women went to work and men went to war. A Small Price to Pay, the first full-length study of consumer culture in wartime Canada, explodes this myth of home front sacrifice by bringing to light the contradictions of consumer society during the Second World War. Wartime governments pressured Depression-weary citizens to save for the sake of the nation, but Canadians had money in their pockets after years of want, and the fantasy realm of advertisements promised them fresh groceries, glamorous movies, and new cars and appliances. Graham Broad reveals that our “greatest generation” was not impervious to temptation but rather embarked on one of the biggest spending booms in our nation’s history. Cutting through the fog of patriotic enthusiasm, this richly illustrated book reveals that the consumer-spending boom of the 1950s and 1960s was not a “postwar” phenomenon after all.