Radioactive!: How Iréne Curie & Lise Meitner Revolutionized Science and Changed the World

Gr 7 Up—Iréne Curie, who discovered artificial radioactivity, and Lise Meitner, who discovered nuclear fission, were two of the most important scientists in the fields of chemistry and physics in the early part of the 20th century. Both endured challenges to their lives and work because of their gender and, in Meitner's case, because she was a women of Jewish heritage in Nazi Germany. This work provides listeners with accessible information about breakthroughs in nuclear science and about the women's discoveries. There are some problems with the audiobook production, however. Narrator Andrea Gallo sometimes stumbles through pronunciations of names and places. The book is laid out with many subheadings within chapters, and the pauses to separate those subchapters and chapters are often disconcertingly long. In addition, sidebars that explain various aspects of radioactivity and nuclear science feel as though they are dropped randomly into the production, interrupting the narrative. Still, in spite of these concerns, this story will easily catch listeners and hold their attention.