Marie Curie

by Nick Healy

Healy, Nick

48 pages, Hardcover

First published July 30, 2005

About the author

Nick Healy is a short-story writer whose first book, It Takes You Over, won New Rivers Press’ Many Voices Project award and was released late in 2012. In a review of the collection, the Minneapolis Star Tribune said, “ … his fine stories seduce us. There is nothing simple in what Healy has accomplished here. Like the best writers, he only makes storytelling look easy.”

The book was named a finalist for a Minnesota Book Award in the Novel and Short Story category, which also included Louise Erdrich's The Round House, recent winner of the National Book Award.

Healy’s stories have appeared in many literary magazines and other publications, including North American Review, Water~Stone Review, Speakeasy, Minnesota Monthly, and Great River Review.

Earlier in his career, Healy wrote fiction and nonfiction for children.

Reviews

[Caitlin W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most famous woman scientists of all time, Marie Curie was scholastically gifted from a very young age. Enduring hardships her entire life (growing up in poverty in Russia-controlled Poland, having family members die of illness), she nonetheless never gave up on her passions and dreams of contributing to the community of scientific knowledge. She and her husband Pierre (who she met after moving from her native Poland to France) made an unstoppable scientific team, making huge strides in understanding the atom, coining the term 'radioactive,' and winning the Nobel Prize in 1903. After her husband is tragically killed by a horse and carriage, Marie takes over his teaching position and continues her research on radium. She won a second Nobel Prize in 1911, this one for chemistry, but also lost an election to the French Academy of Sciences by two votes, because many people railed against a woman being a part of such a prestigious organization. Marie didn't let that discourage her from continuing her research. Unfortunately, it is this passion for her work, for scientific knowledge, and for her newly discovered radiation that is her undoing. All the exposure to radiation that she endures gives her leukemia, which she succumbs to at the age of 66. Her story is an inspiring one of overcoming adversity and public opinion. The book has large pages, and every other page is a photograph, which makes for a visually appealing book. Each page also has a quote about Marie Curie, usually from people who knew her, including Albert Einstein. Along the bottoms of the pages are important events in her life in a timeline, and the last part of the book contains excerpts from a reluctantly-written autobiography that she was encouraged to include in her biography of her late husband. It is fascinating to get a chance to read about her experiences as seen through her own eyes. There are also some end notes that define terms that may be unfamiliar to the reader, and an index. Recommended for grades 3-5.

[Leeanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Marie Curie: Genius, by Nick Healy

This book looks nice and slick, with a slim design and large photographs, but most of the value is in the appearance. While Healy’s “Marie Curie” is aimed at ages 9-12, I think it actually hits a little lower. When I was that age, I would have found this book not informational enough, nor engaging. Healy also doesn’t provide a bibliography or sources for his facts; nothing students can use to find out more about Curie if they are interested.

“Marie Curie” does provide a quick overview of the famous scientist’s life that will engage young readers. The quotes on each set of pages add value in that they provide some outside context for that area of Marie’s life. What I found the most interesting was the excerpt at the end from Marie’s own autobiography, which highlight 3 of the most important events in her life. I did find the font in that section a little irritating, and I wish the publisher would have stuck with a normal font rather than italics. Also with the quotes on each page spread, they are in red text on a yellow background, which I found slightly difficult to read.

I would advise looking for this book at the library if your child is interested in Marie Curie. In my opinion it’s not worth the price.

2/5.