“Something Out of Nothing” – A Marie Curie Biography

Last week my history loving son (12) and I finished reading this Marie Curie Biography.

The book sparked so many interesting conversations, starting with her childhood in Poland. They weren’t allowed to speak Polish, only Russian, when they were in school, but secretly learned to speak, read and write in Polish and kept their culture alive. Marie even taught other kids how to read and write in Polish when she worked as a governess later on.

While working for this wealthy family she earned money to send it to her older sister who studied in Paris to become a doctor. They had agreed to help each other financially to be able to study at a university which they couldn’t do back in Warsaw. In 1891 after 8 years of working and saving up money Marie could finally pack her bags and join her sister in Paris, where she started to study Maths and Physics.

It was fascinating to read about the life of this female scientist who studied radioactivity and discovered the elements radium and polonium together with her husband Pierre Curie. A short but in depth book geared towards readers between 10 and 14 years old (but great as an introduction for adults too).