Japan's recent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster brought worldwide attention to the topic of radiation. Science and mathematics educator Malley presents a timely tale about the discovery of radioactivity, the development of our knowledge of the physical universe, and the way radioactivity has changed our world. Whether or not you attended any chemistry or physics courses in your lifetime (or remember what you learned in them), Malley manages to make the periodic table and the giants involved in its creation interesting. She touches on applications of radioactive substances in such fields as geology, medicine, archaeology, and engineering, but the applications are not the focus of the book. Those seeking knowledge about what we do with what we have learned about radiation should look elsewhere; this book is all about the science and its historical characters. VERDICT Malley does a wonderful job of demonstrating how scientific discovery functions, as opposed to the usual approach in which facts and figures are given as tidbits along a chronology. Strongly recommended for history of science collections, high school science students, and anyone curious about radioactivity and the history of science.—James A. Buczynski, Seneca Coll. of Applied Arts & Technology, Toronto