Biased
Biographies
These six biographies all have a slightly different focus. For example, in “Radioactive, A Tale of Love and Fallout”, the author zooms in on the romantic life of Marie Curie. She specifically writes about the Langevin affair, and dramatizes the facts for entertainment. On the contrary, “Madame Curie,” a biography written by Marie Curie’s daughter, Eve, does not mention the affair at all. This shows the stark contrast in the focal points of biographies written by various authors. This demonstrates bias because each of the authors take opposing viewpoints. It is important for the reader to discern facts from bias and to consider the political, cultural, economic and societal norms under which they were written. Each author's mode of communication offers varying perspectives on Marie Curie’s life.
Eve Curie was Marie's daughter. While this biography tells a wonderful story, it conspicuously leaves out any reference to the affair with Paul Langevin.
"HINDSIGHT is the bane of biography. Feminism is one of the most distorting of lenses. One of the strengths of "Obsessive Genius," is its suppression of anger." Maddox (2004)
"It is a story which transforms Marie Curie from a bloodless icon into a woman of passion and courage. It paints a more rounded and attractive picture of Curie the person." London Observer (2020)
"A brilliant visual storyteller, Redniss has hand-designed more than 100 color collages to tell Curie’s story, fascinating in its scientific significance and its sometimes whimsical, sometimes haunting mix of romance and intrigue." Goodreads (2020)
"...an older scientist with a solemn face lined with wisdom, framed by the wispy, snow-white flyaways of her characteristic loose bun. This is none other than Madame Marie Curie, who not only cracked the glass ceiling but completely shattered it." Goodreads (2020)
"Ogilvie’s appealing narrative brings the brilliant scientist and courageous woman to life in a story that will continue to inspire future scientists." Goodreads (2020)
Jacqueline Johnson Lambiase, Ph.D.
Professor and Department Chair, Bob Schieffer College of Communication, TCU
Interview, December 2020