06/01/2019
Italian creator Milani (cocontributor, Post Pink) offers her first English-language translation with this biography of French Polish physicist Marie Curie (1867–1934), tracing the Nobel Prize winner's life using several themes: her scientific exploration, the sexism she faced, and her Polish identity. Central to the narrative is Curie's partnership with husband and colleague Pierre Curie, as is the scandal some years after his death, when Curie became involved with a married colleague. Yet Milani most successfully conveys the professional achievements and impassioned life of an extraordinary mind while also making clear the challenges Curie overcame as a female scientist and foreigner working in France. The author's striking watercolor and pastel art employs color expressively and varying styles to enhance this affecting portrait. Milani's parents, a physicist and a mathematician, served as consultants for this work and provide an afterword about Curie's legacy. A helpful time line and bibliography round out the book. VERDICT Will appeal to curious high schoolers and adults interested in history and science, though some themes will challenge younger readers. [Previewed in Ingrid Bohnenkamp's Graphic Novels Preview, "Mass Appeal," p. 39.]—Bill Hardesty, Georgia State Univ. Libs., Atlanta
07/01/2019
Gr 7 Up—This graphic format biography of Marie Curie, the first woman Nobelist, is told in a series of flashbacks from the point of view of one of her daughters. In 1889, Curie was working as a governess in Poland, well educated but with few options beyond marriage and frustrated with her circumstances. An invitation from her sister and brother-in-law in Paris opened up opportunities to study math and physics at the Sorbonne, where she met her future husband, Pierre Curie. Large panels filled with vivid washes of watercolor and colored pencil set the tone and mood, depicting scenes in her laboratory as well as at home and around Paris. Glimpses of Curie's thoughts, discussions with other scientists, and even the occasional diagram provide depth and scientific authenticity, conveying Curie's brilliance and why her work with radioactive materials was so important. More subtly, the author shows over time how the radioactivity affected Curie physiologically, eventually leading to her death. The story swings between her professional and personal life, including the despair she felt after her husband's death and a subsequent affair with a fellow scientist who was married. VERDICT With a complex story structure and sophisticated science content, this addition to the canon about Curie is ideal for upper middle and high schoolers.Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA
2019-05-08
The life of the first female Nobel Prize winner is told in flashback by her daughter Irène.
Marie's story picks up in 1889 when she worked as a governess for a Polish family. In the wake of a failed courtship, Marie moved to Paris, near her sister and her husband, to pursue a second degree, this time in mathematics. It was through her brother-in-law that she met Pierre Curie, who became a supportive friend, mentor, colleague, and, ultimately, a beloved spouse. Together they researched the nascent field of radioactivity, earning a Nobel Prize in physics in 1903. Along with her career ambitions and success, the book addresses struggles from the Russian occupation of her native Poland and Pierre's tragic death in a carriage accident to the scandal of her close relationship with fellow scientist Paul Langevin. Though largely a straightforward biography, Italian author and illustrator Milani (co-contributor: Post Pink, 2019, etc.) does take some poetic license in the dialogue, including a dream sequence in which Marie converses with Pierre after his death. The tender, loosely impressionistic colored pencil and watercolor illustrations add liveliness and warmth to this recounting of a remarkable life. Though Curie is one of the rare women in science to be a frequent biographical subject, this graphic novelization of her life is nevertheless a worthy addition to the canon.
An appealing volume for graphic novel and science enthusiasts. (biographical information, timeline, bibliography, source notes) (Graphic biography. 12-adult)
