



Obsessive genius: the inner world of Marie Curie, a biography by Barbara Goldsmith, appears at a time when women are still underrepresented in most fields of science. In 1995 her (still-radioactive!) ashes were interred in the Pantheon in Paris, making her the first and only woman to receive such an honor. She was awarded Nobel prizes in physics (1903) and in chemistry (1911). Curie carried out groundbreaking research, providing the first detailed description of radioactivity and using its detection to discover two new elements: polonium and radium. In the early part of the twentieth century, when professional opportunities for women were rare, she was the first woman to obtain a doctoral degree from the Sorbonne. Most scientists, especially women, are fascinated by Marie Curie. Obsessive genius: The inner world of Marie Curie.
