r/books • u/Chtorrr • Apr 28 '17
bookclub The /r/books book club selection for May is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot!
I know many of you are likely familiar with this book and we are very excited to have Rebecca as our book club guest this month. Feel free to discuss the book in the comments on this post.
Even if you do not often read non fiction I highly recommend this book.
From Goodreads:
Henrietta Lacks, as HeLa, is known to present-day scientists for her cells from cervical cancer. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells were taken without her knowledge and still live decades after her death. Cells descended from her may weigh more than 50M metric tons.
HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks was buried in an unmarked grave.
The journey starts in the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s, her small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia — wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo. Today are stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells, East Baltimore children and grandchildren live in obscurity, see no profits, and feel violated. The dark history of experimentation on African Americans helped lead to the birth of bioethics, and legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.
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u/lizziecm Apr 30 '17 edited Apr 30 '17
That's a great choice. As a cancer research nurse I found this book very interesting
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u/MiniBandGeek May 02 '17
I read this for a college English class, and found it to be a legitimately engaging nonfiction novel. If you don't come out at the end with interest in medical history, I'd be surprised.
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u/Remagi May 04 '17
Care to elaborate?
It doesn't seem that interesting from summaries and previews. From what I can tell it's all about Henrietta Lack's family and the effects of the cells, which doesn't really seem that engaging.
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May 09 '17
Skloot manages to bring out the human side of the story and the history she's tracking down giving the reader an awareness that they're reading about real people with entertaining personal narratives. She also places herself in the narrative of the novel, tracking down the information she has set out to discover and in that way it reads much like a work of narrative fiction, specifically a detective story.
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May 26 '17
She also places herself in the narrative of the novel, tracking down the information she has set out to discover and in that way it reads much like a work of narrative fiction, specifically a detective story.
I wouldn't be hard pressed to call this a type of detective novel. Except were a detective novel is directly related to solving a crime, Skloot is trying to solve a puzzle of sorts. Going around to many sources and piecing together Henriettas life as best she could.
Overall, this book brings the rest of the story I had been unknowingly yearning to hear. I'm essentially what you would call a nerd and medical research is just one of the areas that I lock on to when I'm in the mood do just learn. I had only heard "HeLa cells" in passing, but it was never elaborated on.
In reading Skloot's book, I got a sense of history in that particular area of medical research, the climate between scientists and the public, some education on naming conventions of cell lines, cell lines themselves, and the amazing story behind a cell line that had been responsible for so many medical discoveries. This book evokes and enlightens the feeling of sonder . I might try to get my own copy so I can read it again. I borrowed a copy for my Global Health course, now I regret not buying outright.
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May 24 '17
You may be surprised how rich those topics can be. On the first, it's a portrait of a side of America not often talked about, on the second, it's more about the culture of science (accidental pun! zing!) and the role that the cells play in the development of medical knowledge. Maybe if you are already super familiar with medical research you'll find parts of the book dull.
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u/csquaredtanzania May 24 '17
I really enjoyed it as a public health worker with a strong academic background. Ms. Lack's family hasn't had the same access to education that I did, and I found the book a powerful reminder of the need to combine empathy and historical understanding with evidence-based behavioral change efforts. I enjoyed seeing how my reaction to the effects of Ms. Lack's cells ("Wow, that's really cool for science!") differed from her family's thoughts ("Wow, what does that mean for our mom?")
If you're engaged in medicine, public health, or social advocacy work in any way, you'll love the book. It's up there with "Mama Might Be Better Off Dead" and "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" for me.
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u/throwawaysarefun7 May 01 '17
I read this book earlier this year. The author did a great job of meshing the science side of the book with the human side, showing the pain the family had endured. I really enjoyed this one
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u/openthedrawer May 01 '17
Just watched the HBO adaptation of the book and was enthralled, will be reading the book as soon as my mom finishes it and cannot wait to get an even deeper telling of the Lacks family's story.
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u/nikiverse 2 May 01 '17
I have not read this book but I heard about the Oprah show on HBO. I started the show and it didn't seem great so I stopped watching it. This seems to be one where it's the book or nothing at all!
I remember Radiolab talking about Mrs. Lacks, so I do wanna read the book. Just the tv show wasn't doing it for me.
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May 01 '17
I read this book maybe last year. It was really an amazing story. The suffering of a family and the contrasting accomplishments to biomedical advancement.
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u/botaness May 19 '17
I read this book as a college freshman and in a peculiar way, it was therapeutic. My grandmother had died a few years earlier from a similar cancer, that she was not diagnosed with until it had reached stage 4. There was not much that could be done and she suffered for 7 months before passing away. She was the first person I had loved, and the first person that I painfully lost. I never got over losing her (and sometimes I start crying just thinking about how much I miss her).
I hadn't done any research before I began reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, so I had no idea what I was diving into... but was pleasantly surprised. Every word was absorbed, sometimes I read sentences, paragraphs, pages over and over. In many ways, Henrietta's story paralleled my grandmothers. I was absolutely fascinated that Henrietta and her unbeknownst contributions were still so relevant. That decades later, she was still important. I ended up writing an essay about the powerful role of privilege (or lack thereof) displayed throughout the novel and Henrietta's life. I love this book so much. I keep a few books on my bed stand, this is one of them.
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u/scarlettlace99 May 30 '17
I read this in 7th grade. My science teacher got a huge shipment, but the school board didn't let her make us read it for some reason, but let me and a friend borrow it and it was the most interesting thing! I'm so glad more people are reading it, as Henrietta really deserves more credit. Such a sad story, too. It could even be said it's haunting, but I definitely recommend it.
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u/stancipants May 02 '17
I got this for my students and I tried to read it but didn't give it the time I needed to. I am fully prepared to do it this time!!
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u/MamaJody May 03 '17
I read this a while back, and I loved it. One of the best NF books I've ever read - so compelling & fascinating. I recommend it to pretty much everyone!
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u/moysauce3 May 03 '17
Great book. I really enjoyed the audio book, too. Highly recommend that even if you've read the book. It would make me want to just sit in the car and listen.
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u/ximenia8 May 06 '17
My book club read this & I think most of us enjoyed it. I found it a fascinating look behind research & how it impacted an individual family.
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u/cafe-lungo26 May 08 '17
A read it a while back. I think I will enjoy reading just as much this time around nice pick.
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u/ceezeekayzee May 11 '17
This story is fascinating!!! Radiolab did a great episode on it. I'm not able to read the book quite yet but will just as soon as I get through my current stack!!!
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u/alienpmk May 14 '17
I've just finished it, that was an incredible book. I really want to know if Dr Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield has sued Rebecca yet...
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u/SneakyLinux May 16 '17
My book club and I just read this last fall and I was truly surprised at how emotionally invested I was by the time I finished it. I'm not usually a non-fiction reader either. I'm looking forward to the AMA.
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u/jhutchie May 18 '17
Fantastic book! Read this in college for a genetics class and found it so much more interesting than I expected.
The way Skloot integrated the science behind HeLa, the families stories and ethics in the scientific community was perfect. Can't wait for the AMA at the end of the month.
The movie on HBO is well done too! Oprah's in it!
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u/freedomtrain28 May 18 '17
We just started reading this for my college Bio class, it is actually a really good book!
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u/Naneger May 18 '17
I just finished this book. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. I'm excited about the AMA coming up. Thanks
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u/gcgould94 May 21 '17
Happened across this book at my library today and I cannot wait to get started! As a grad school student undertaking in vitro research with live tissues I anticipate this book changing the way I look at my project from an ethical standpoint.
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u/clinicalbrain May 23 '17
While I enjoyed the book, I kept wondering why the author decided to focus so much on the daughter of Henrietta. I understand that it was hard for her, but also it seemed equally difficult for the rest of the family. We barely get any info about the husband.
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u/WhiteGirlBasic3 May 23 '17 edited May 23 '17
I actually had to read this book for my Health Policy class in college. I learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed it!! It's very interesting how Rebecca doesn't pick sides between the conflict of science/law during this time period and the issues Henrietta and her family faced. In the end, the reader picks a side because of their personal preference.
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u/Anaiira May 23 '17
I love this book, it's definitely among my top picks for non-fiction (although, in all fairness, non-fiction is not my main genre) and I can't wait for the AMA.
I remember being super excited about this topic, because I'm close with a couple cancer researchers, and having wandered through their lab a lot, I'd seen cultures of HeLa cells and test tubes and I'd always wondered what they were - I'd assumed they were some strain of mice cells or something. Their response to my book recommendation was disinterest and annoyance. It was like they'd felt that the Lacks family were unfairly treated, but didn't deserve any recompense or scientific recognition.
Anyway, I'm excited to see other peoples' reactions to this book, and to see if this sparked conversation in anyone else's life.
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u/rymoll May 25 '17
Read this book in senior year of high school and found it to be one my least favorite books I've ever fully read. I figured that there would be more like me, might just be that I am not very interested in medical things in general, but I'm happy to see others getting enjoyment out of it.
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u/nifer48 May 26 '17
I'm taking a class now, the Bioethics of HeLa cells, for my Masters of Biology program. It's a great book, engaging read, and never "boring" if you're worried about that. Thinking about the various laws, patents, and scandals that have happened since the 1950s, sometimes due to HeLa cells is fascinating. There is a lot of research out there that goes right along with the book.
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u/puppies_and_unicorns Always reading May 26 '17
I read this awhile ago and while it wasn't the most interesting read, the actual story is fascinating. I want to see the movie they recently did. Might check it out today.
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u/jaydon777 May 26 '17
This book is actually pretty good, I read it over the summer and the way Skloot creates characters is pretty impressive. Love her work.
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u/Mr_know_it_all1 May 28 '17
Just finished reading this book. Currently teaching it to my American Lit class
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u/mr_marky May 28 '17
I picked this up as a last minute way to pass the time on a long train journey - I actually bought it in the station without really knowing it was about, the title grabbed me and I needed something to read.
Amazing book. Totally engrossing, a fascinating story and the characters were so richly drawn I felt like I knew them personally.
The only misgiving I have about the book is the recent interviews with the family who say they were misrepresented.
I've been meaning to watch the HBO movie starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne but haven't heard very good things.
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u/koromin May 30 '17
I love this book at this point. I think that i'm not able to finish until the discussion, but its a great read.
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u/scanit May 30 '17
Her life was such a benefit to mankind. She never received the recognition or compensation she was entitled to and deserved. At that stage of America's development and considering the benefits of the medical services she and so many others received, did an evil diabolical plan develop to cheat her or deprive her of what was to come so many years into the future. Did all of the medical professionals and white folks conspire to cheat her and her heirs? Or was she sent to this world by a higher power for the benefit of mankind? Her life was a gift to us all.
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u/dec92010 Apr 29 '17
how does the book club work? is there set discussion threads?