The immortal life of henrietta lacks hardcover rebecca skloot goodreads author. The immortal life of henrietta lacks 2010 is a nonfiction book by american author rebecca skloot. Catch up on chapters, chapters 46, chapters 79, chapters 1012, chapters 15, and chapters 1618 lets get started. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Feb 07, 2010 but the immortal life of henrietta lacks is much more than a portrait of the lacks family. Last week our book club met to discuss the immortal life of henrietta lacks. The immortal life of henrietta lacks plot summary course. The immortal life of henrietta lacks does more than one book ought to be able to do. The complexity and depth of immortal henrietta is one of the things that appealed to me most.
Discuss the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca. I could not be more excited to be leading the book club this month, erin says, especially since we are going to be reading the immortal life of henrietta lacks. As cousin cliff tells skloot, the family cemetery is filled with black lackses buried right over the top of their white, slaveowning ancestors. Nov 06, 2017 welcome to the comments and discussion of the young adult cancer book club we are reading the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot. The immortal life of henrietta lacks medicine, the rights of women, bioethics, and race relations intersect in ways both disturbing and eyeopening in this account of a poor southern tobacco farmer whose cells, taken without her knowledge or her permission, became an. Find a summary of this and each chapter of the immortal life of henrietta lacks. The immortal life of henrietta lacks friday morning bookclub. This is an extraordinary book, haunting and beautifully told. The book contains elements of sexual assault and abuse. Rebecca skloot, the author of the immortal life of henrietta lacks, split the book into three distinct sectionslife, death, and immortalityin order to describe the events of henriettas. No names have been changed, no characters invented, no events fabricated. The immortal life of henrietta lacks chapter 12 summary. Mar 08, 2011 skloots debut book, the immortal life of henrietta lacks, took more than a decade to research and write, and instantly became a new york times bestseller.
The virtual book group discussion is staged in three parts. The immortal life of henrietta lacks summary from litcharts. Laura miller, no dead woman has done more for the living. In any case, the immortal life of henrietta lacks is a book that raises a lot of issues for discussion, all of which im sure would be great for a book club. This week, the doublex audio book club discusses the immortal life of henrietta lacks, which tells the amazing story of a baltimore woman who. For clarity, each part of this summary covers henrietta s life story and the familys story first, followed by the story of skloots research. Among others, the immortal life of henrietta lacks was awarded the national academies best book of the year award, the american association for the advancement of sciences young adult science book award and the wellcome trust book prize. The immortal life of henrietta lacks plot summary course hero. The immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot is the story of a poor black woman who was raised in the south. The discussions involve dozens of real simple readers, all of whom post thoughtful. The immortal life of henrietta lacks is a triumph of science writing it is truly one of the best nonfiction books i have ever read, and i was deeply affected by it on a personal level. The immortal life of henrietta lacks paperback the. Join us for one hour to enjoy the book and refreshments. Jul 15, 2011 the complexity and depth of immortal henrietta is one of the things that appealed to me most.
But the immortal life of henrietta lacks is much more than a portrait of the lacks family. Obviously, first and foremost is henrietta s story, and that of her family members a tragedy. The immortal life of henrietta lacks moves back and forth in time, from henrietta lackss lifetime to rebecca skloots investigation of henriettas story and the lackss family history. How do you feel about a white woman creating the narrative of this story. Discussion questions for the immortal life of henrietta lacks 1. The immortal life of henrietta lacks, rebecca skloot the immortal life of henrietta lacks 2010 is a nonfiction book by american author rebecca skloot. Throughout her childhood and adult life, she worked from sunrise to sunset on a tobacco farm. Feb 19, 2020 the immortal life of henrietta lacks medicine, the rights of women, bioethics, and race relations intersect in ways both disturbing and eyeopening in this account of a poor southern tobacco farmer whose cells, taken without her knowledge or her permission, became an important tool in medicine.
Cst will be sponsoring late afternoon discussions on relevant topics. Discuss the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot. It is also a critique of science that insists on ignoring the. On page xiii, rebecca skloot states this is a work of nonfiction. Henrietta lacks, a poor southern tobacco farmer, was buried in an unmarked grave 60 years ago. The immortal life of henrietta lacks book tour part 1 duration.
Immortal life of henrietta lacks skloot discussion questions. The immortal life was selected for the first nonfiction edition of the atlantics 1book140 reading club. Free download or read online the immortal life of henrietta lacks pdf epub book. It was the 2011 winner of the national academies communication award for best creative work that helps the public understanding of topics in science, engineering or medicine. When my book club chose the immortal life of henrietta lacks i had no idea that i was in for such a compelling read. The immortal life of henrietta lacks is an excellent choice for a book club.
Oprahs book club do you remember the first book she picked. Pdf the immortal life of henrietta lacks book by rebecca. The first edition of the novel was published in february 2nd 2010, and was written by rebecca skloot. The immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot. Rebecca skloots the immortal life of henrietta lacks was a publishing and scientific sensation earlier this decade that spent 75 weeks on the new york times paperback nonfiction best. Race and racism are woven throughout the book, both in the story presented and in the process of the research for the book. Find examples of episodes which indicate that deborah and other family members are beginning to trust skloot. What did you knowthink about henrietta lacks before reading the book. Rebecca explains that hela made possible some of the most important discoveries of the 21st century, but that we know. Hundreds of book groups worldwide have read the immortal life with wonderful results below you will find information and resources designed to enhance your groups discussion of the immortal life of henrietta lacks. Discussion questions for the immortal life of henrietta lacks. The immortal life of henrietta lacks hardcover book discussion. Jul 29, 2011 in any case, the immortal life of henrietta lacks is a book that raises a lot of issues for discussion, all of which im sure would be great for a book club. Jan 31, 2012 oprahs book club do you remember the first book she picked.
Jun 18, 2010 this week, the doublex audio book club discusses the immortal life of henrietta lacks, which tells the amazing story of a baltimore woman who died of cancer, but whose cellswhich seemed to have. Henrietta s story is divided into three parts by theme life, death and immortality, how would the story have been different if told chronologically. Obviously, first and foremost is henriettas story, and that of her family members a tragedy. Did anything you read change your previous opinions. The immortal life of henrietta lacks book discussion. The immortal life of henrietta lacks summary shmoop. Were very excited to be reading a book thats been tearing up the bestseller lists for the past two years, rebecca skloots the immortal life of henrietta lacks. In the immortal life of henrietta lacks, skloot has an epiphany when she speaks with cousin gary in clover. Henriettas mother died when she was only four, and life got rougher than it had already been. Imagine discovering similar information about one of your family members. Back in march, i read the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot.
However, as much as i searched, i was unable to find a published discussion guide for the book to facilitate a discussion. The immortal life of henrietta lacks is a heroic work of cultural and medical journalism. Rebecca explains that hela made possible some of the most important discoveries of the 21st century, but that we know little about the woman behind them. Discuss skloots relationship with deborah and the lacks family. Yet her cells taken without her knowledge became one of the most important tools in medical research. The immortal life of henrietta lacks paperback 1 jan 2011. Apr 12, 2017 rebecca skloots the immortal life of henrietta lacks was a publishing and scientific sensation earlier this decade that spent 75 weeks on the new york times paperback nonfiction best. The immortal life of henrietta lacks moves back and forth in time, from henrietta lacks s lifetime to rebecca skloots investigation of henrietta s story and the lacks s family history. The immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot book.
The main characters of this non fiction, science story are henrietta lacks. Oprah winfrey on the immortal life of henrietta lacks the. The immortal life of henrietta lacks summary litcharts. Bookpage named the immortal life a top pick for book clubs, calling it a deeply intimate look at one familys efforts to claim its legacy.
How to discuss a book helpful discussion tips generic discussion questionsfiction and. The immortal life of henrietta lacks brings to mind the work of philip k. The immortal life of henrietta lacks is a fascinating read and a ringing success. A journalist named rebecca skloot recounts learning about an african american woman named henrietta lacks, who died in 1951 of cervical cancer, but whose cancerous cells became the first immortal human cell line, called hela. At johns hopkins, the doctors harvested cells from her cervix without her permission and distributed them to labs around the globe, where they were multiplied and used for a diverse array of treatments. We had a very diverse and educational discussion about the book the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot. The immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot book club questions 1. Welcome to the comments and discussion of the young adult cancer book club we are reading the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot. However, as much as i searched, i was unable to find a published discussion guide for the book. The immortal life of henrietta lacks yonkers public schools. I saw four distinct stories within the story and each could stand on their own as a subject of a novel. Because there isnt much information about henrietta and her family, skloot wants to tell their story. The immortal life of henrietta lacks hardcover book.
Catch up on chapters, chapters 46, chapters 79, chapters 1012, chapters 15, and chapters 1618. Oprah winfrey on the immortal life of henrietta lacks. It is a wellwritten, carefullyresearched, complex saga of medical research, bioethics, and race in america. Everyone found the book to be a fascinating read with much to talk about. Skloot weaves together a captivating story of medical history, personal tragedy and disturbing insight into what little consent we. The immortal life of henrietta lacks themes shmoop.
The immortal life of henrietta lacks discussion questions. Feb 09, 2010 in 1951, henrietta lacks, an africanamerican mother of five, was diagnosed with what proved to be a fatal form of cervical cancer. The immortal life of henrietta lacks chapter 4 summary. Real simples book club discusses the immortal life rebecca. As much as this book is about henrietta lacks, it is also about deborah learning of the mother she barely knew, while also finding out. Real simples book club discusses the immortal life. Rebecca skloot explores the racism and greed, the idealism and faith in science that helped to save thousands of lives but nearly destroyed a family. I was so impacted by the story that i decided to choose it as a reading selection for my book club.
They see her illness not as the result of rampaging cancer cells, but as something manmade i. Jul 28, 2010 back in march, i read the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot. It is also a critique of science that insists on ignoring the messy human provenance of its materials. In your opinion, what were the most interesting parts of the book. Chapter summary for rebecca skloots the immortal life of henrietta lacks, part 3 chapter 34 summary.
In the immortal life of henrietta lacks, the lacks family has turmoil buried right into the roots of its family tree. Skloot was yet another white person asking the lacks family about henrietta. In 1951, henrietta lacks, an africanamerican mother of five, was diagnosed with what proved to be a fatal form of cervical cancer. It was chosen as a best book of 2010 by more than sixty media outlets, including entertainment weekly, people, and the new york times. There are so many facets to this story that will draw you in, whether you are more interested in the history of discrimination against africanamericans, or the topics of medical. The immortal life of henrietta lacks rebecca skloot. Jan 01, 2011 the immortal life of henrietta lacks did not require that at all and yet for some reason a large portion of the book is devoted to showing how fair this white and how often they remind us that she is white. According to, the immortal life is consistently in the top 10 book club picks of 2011. Known to science as hela, the first immortal human cells grown in culture are still alive today, and have been bought and sold by the millions. How to discuss a book helpful discussion tips generic discussion questionsfiction and nonfiction.
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