medical history.

Set in 1941 (through 1944) following the attack on Pearl Harbor, A Fierce Radiance is a story of historical fact and fiction. Author Lauren Belfer takes us along on an exciting adventure, filled with love, war, hope and loss. The fiction is the story of beautiful heroine, Claire Shipley. The fact involves WWII and the medical breakthrough of penicillin.

Claire is a photojournalist who is sent to cover an extremely important story on a potentially life-saving new drug (penicillin). She lives in New York as a single mother to son, Charlie. Claire's daughter Emily died as a young girl from a mere knee scrape which resulted in a blood infection. This story is personal for Claire, penicillin would have saved her daughter, and can save soldiers who are dying everyday from the same infection. She is tough and determined on and off the field. There is a love story between her and researcher Dr. James Stanton, but its the history of the medicine that keeps the pages turning.

Those of you who are well versed in 1940's wartime will notice that Belfer's research is flawless. Her writing is so visual, I can already imagine it on the big screen.