#91529 - 04/20/12 03:34 PM
May 2012 Selection: The Immortal Life of H. Lacks
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LaSalleUGirl
Ching Shih
Registered: 06/25/01
Posts: 1856
Loc: Philadelphia, PA, USA
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I think I may be the only person on the planet who hasn't yet read Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I have been looking forward to reading it for ages. Skloot documents the life of tobacco farmer Lacks, who died in 1951 at age 30 from cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins, but who achieved the "immortality" of the the title due to a medical procedure to which neither she nor her family consented.
Doctors at Johns Hopkins harvested some of the cancerous cells from Lacks' body, which they then replicated in culture. In countless labs around the world, "HeLa cells," the descendents of that original cell culture, have been used for experiments on cancer treatments, polio vaccines, and what happens to cells in space. More specifically, those cell cultures have been SOLD to labs around the world, creating a booming industry from which Lacks' children and grandchildren have not benefited and raising ethical issues galore.
Medical nonfiction is absolutely my favorite kind of nonfiction (although memoirs from people with crazy families are a fairly close second). My science geek self is excited beyond belief about finally getting to read this book.
Discussion begins on May 15. Happy reading!
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#91530 - 04/20/12 08:38 PM
Re: May 2012 Selection: The Immortal Life of H. Lacks
[Re: LaSalleUGirl]
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Kivrin
Ching Shih
Registered: 06/01/00
Posts: 4527
Loc: Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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I haven't read it either, LSUG. Heh. Looking forward to reading it for the first time right along with ya!
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#91531 - 04/20/12 10:38 PM
Re: May 2012 Selection: The Immortal Life of H. Lacks
[Re: Kivrin]
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Sylver
Ching Shih
Registered: 06/23/05
Posts: 248
Loc: Lexington, KY
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Hey, I'm reading it right now! I didn't know it was the book discussion for May. Hooray for being able to join the discussion with this one!
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#91538 - 05/01/12 12:58 PM
Re: May 2012 Selection: The Immortal Life of H. Lacks
[Re: Sylver]
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LaSalleUGirl
Ching Shih
Registered: 06/25/01
Posts: 1856
Loc: Philadelphia, PA, USA
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*bump* I officially retrieved my copy from my parents' house, and I can't wait to start reading it!
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#91539 - 05/02/12 01:16 PM
Re: May 2012 Selection: The Immortal Life of H. Lacks
[Re: LaSalleUGirl]
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TraceyB
Ching Shih
Registered: 06/06/00
Posts: 1477
Loc: Minneapolis, MN
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I read this last summer and loved it. I'm looking forward to discussing it with y'all.
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#91541 - 05/03/12 12:20 PM
Re: May 2012 Selection: The Immortal Life of H. Lacks
[Re: TraceyB]
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StephA
Ching Shih
Registered: 06/13/02
Posts: 2735
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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I'll be away from keyboard for a few days after this discussion starts, but I'm looking forward to catching up! I loved this book when I read it - far and away one of my favourite reads of last year!
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#91542 - 05/03/12 01:20 PM
Re: May 2012 Selection: The Immortal Life of H. Lacks
[Re: StephA]
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CaitlinM2
Registered: 03/03/09
Posts: 409
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area
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Same here (except for the being away part).
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#91547 - 05/08/12 10:11 AM
Re: May 2012 Selection: The Immortal Life of H. Lacks
[Re: CaitlinM2]
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LaSalleUGirl
Ching Shih
Registered: 06/25/01
Posts: 1856
Loc: Philadelphia, PA, USA
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*bump* One week until we start discussing The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Can't wait!
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#91551 - 05/16/12 08:27 PM
Re: May 2012 Selection: The Immortal Life of H. Lacks
[Re: LaSalleUGirl]
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LaSalleUGirl
Ching Shih
Registered: 06/25/01
Posts: 1856
Loc: Philadelphia, PA, USA
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I'm still reading (I had to reclaim my copy from my parents, and it took longer than anticipated), but you all should start talking. What did you think of Skloot's coverage of Henrietta, the Lacks family, and the development and use of HeLa cells?
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#91554 - 05/18/12 01:35 PM
Re: May 2012 Selection: The Immortal Life of H. Lacks
[Re: LaSalleUGirl]
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TraceyB
Ching Shih
Registered: 06/06/00
Posts: 1477
Loc: Minneapolis, MN
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I work at a research university, and the issue of human subjects is a big deal in research administration. So, the ethical aspects were what struck me the most about this story. Not only the use of Henrietta's cells, but the other stories that Skloot tells. One I remember was the man in - California, I think? - whose long-time doctor asked him to fill out a form that turned out to be an authorization for use of his cells/tissues. The man checked "no," and immediately got panicked calls from his doctor, who had been doing (unauthorized) research with his cells.
I know a few people who have spent their professional lives working with HeLa cells. A lot of good has been done with them, but it's a shame about the things that happened with the family. The story of her daughter, who was institutionalized, was especially heartbreaking.
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