Even now, nearly a century after her death, Marie Curie remains the only female scientist most people can name. She gained world renown at age thirty-six, when she received the first of her two Nobel Prizes. Two years later, suddenly a widow with two young children, she took over the laboratory where she had worked alongside her husband and also assumed his teaching position at the University of Paris, becoming the first female professor ever to lecture there.
By her example and the extent of her fame, she drew aspiring physicists and chemists to her. Women arrived at the Radium Institute from eastern and western Europe, from Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, and as far away as Canada to work or study under Mme. Curie.
My new book, The Elements of Marie Curie, combines her story—scientist, mother, mentor, war hero—with their stories of love, loss, and radioactivity.
REVIEWS
“The Elements of Marie Curie is much more than a biography. It is a tribute to a woman who redefined what was possible for women in science, inspiring generations to follow her. Sobel's elegant prose and thoughtful use of personal and historical accounts bring Curie to life, offering a nuanced portrait of a woman whose contributions to science were matched by quiet strength, humility and commitment to humanity. This is an essential read, capturing both her genius and her legacy.”
—Chen Ly, New Scientist
“Sobel writes elegantly about science, unspooling Curie’s pursuits in the lab like a mystery.”
—Kate Zernike, The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal | 10.4.24
“Ms. Sobel’s book deftly explores the science of chemistry and the history of radium, while also following the remarkable thread of Marie Curie’s achievements—which came at a high personal cost. But what sets Ms. Sobel’s biography apart isn’t the timeline or the events of her subject’s life; it’s those women of science whose lives intersected with Curie’s, a cast of brilliant researchers and thinkers that the author skillfully weaves into her narrative. They are the “elements” of Marie Curie’s lab.... She drew them to her, and through her, they would draw others, lighting a path for women in science.”
—Brandy Schillace, The Wall Street Journal
Published on October 8, 2024. Now available to order.
INTERVIEW
Science Friday interview with Ira Flatow | 12.6.24 “Marie Curie and the Women Scientists Who Became Her Legacy”— Ira Flatow talks with Dava Sobel about her research into Curie’s life, some of the anecdotes from the book, and how she interacted with some of her lab assistants and colleagues.