The onestop resource for book groups and other greedy readers. It has since become a popular 2011 freshman common read. Having suffered so much from the stress of trying to understand the gravity of the situation and the anxiety of warding off unwarranted lawyers, reporters and scientists, the children of henrietta lacks were initially unwilling to speak to skloot. Jul 23, 2020 the way skloot approached the lacks family has taught me a lot about empathy and compassion. Discuss the familys ignorance and their lack of medical knowledge.
There is no way in which henrietta or her family are worse off because her cells were used. Meanwhile, because hela cells and cell culturing promised so many advances in medicine, the media spread the story of the immortal cell culture. The immortal life of henrietta lacks southfield public library. The immortal life of henrietta lacks book discussion. Reading group discussion questionsthe immortal life of. Ten years of research resulted in the immortal life of henrietta lacks. 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 immortal life of henrietta lacks paperback redbery books. This is our first suggested reading from a member of the group. The immortal life of henrietta lacks general information guides.
Directed by adam curtis, the film did a fine job of telling henrietta s story, and. And the story about her life and her familys lives is fascinating, too. She was a poor southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells taken without her knowledge became one of the most important tools in medicine. A thorny and provocative book about cancer, racism, scientific ethics and crippling poverty, the immortal life of henrietta lacks also floods over you like a narrative dam break, as if someone had managed to distill and purify the more addictive qualities of erin brockovich, midnight in the garden of good and evil and the andromeda strain. Rebecca wondered about the woman behind the hela cells. The immortal life of henrietta lacks is a nonfiction book written by rebecca skloot. Henrietta s cells, called hela cells, became the first immortal human cell line.
We will talk about several chapters each monday until the book is done probably about three chapters since the book has so many. Bioethics book club the immortal life of henrietta lacks. Guided reading and discussion questions are provided for each chapter. Epich event the immortal life of henrietta lacks book. Jun 25, 2018 a lawyer representing the eldest son and two grandsons of henrietta lacks, whose immortal cells have been the subject of a bestselling book, a tv movie, a family feud, cuttingedge medical. The following button will redirect you to a page about the book, the immortal life of henrietta lacks, if you are interested in learning more about the book. The immortal life was selected for the first nonfiction edition of the atlantics 1book140 reading club. The immortal life of henrietta lacks hardcover book discussion. Septoct book club, the immortal life of henrietta lacks.
Back in march, i read the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot. The immortal life of henrietta lacks a usf faculty discussion. The immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot. May 22, 2010 but the immortal life of henrietta lacks succeeds despite itself. Henrietta lacks expressed her distrust in the medical community as a black woman in her time. How do you feel about a white woman creating the narrative of this story. Imagine discovering similar information about one of your family members. Im not sure the family is entitled to feel so wronged, however. The immortal life of henrietta lacks roya edalatpour. To assess the impact of the book on discussion within the media and popular culture more generally, we systematically analyzed the ethicsrelated. What are the specific issues raised in the book legally and ethically.
She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cellstaken without her knowledge in 1951became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more. A thoughtful guide to forming and enjoying a stimulating book discussion group ellen slezak editor 374. The immortal life of henrietta lacks discussion questions. There was so much to discuss, the hour long discussion flew by much like reading the book. The immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot book club. The immortal life of henrietta lacks, by rebecca skloot, 4 stars. Hundreds of book groups worldwide have read the immortal life with wonderful. Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, the immortal life of henrietta lacks soon to be an hbo film starring oprah winfrey and rose byrne captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences. Wolfe, renee elise goldsberry, reg cathey, courtney vance and rose byrne on facebook live. Excerpt from the immortal life of henrietta lacks, books. April 17 and 24 group assignments for the discussion of the immortal life of henrietta lacks book.
Why do you think the author was so determined to write this book. Also consider these litlovers talking points to help get a discussion started for the immortal life of henrietta lacks. Antiracist book club the immortal life of henrietta lacks the. It could not have turned out better and i was primed and. Discussion questions for the immortal life of henrietta lacks. Her name was henrietta lacks, but scientists know her as hela. Additional resources on the reading groups page of rebecca skloots website. Nov 06, 2020 get a group together to discuss the immortal life of henrietta lacks. Apr 04, 2017 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 the truth about her sister, elsie. The crandall public library monday evening book discussion group gathered on june 18, 2012 to discuss rebecca skloots the immortal life of henrietta lacks.
Discuss the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot in an online book club. The immortal life of henrietta lacks brings to mind the work of philip k. One book one lcc 201415 the immortal life of henrietta. The immortal life of henrietta lacks book report free essay. The really popular book club is hosted by cambridge university library and everyone is invited to join our discussion of the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot. Before we dive into the discussion questions, i want to talk a little bit about the author rebecca skloot. It was chosen as a best book of 2010 by more than sixty media outlets, including entertainment weekly, people, and the new york times. As they discuss how to stop hela contamination, they realize that if they find genetic markers specific to henrietta, they will be able to find out which cells are henrietta s, and which are not. Excerpt from the immortal life of henrietta lacks the incredible story that intrigues scientists and researchers alike. Jul 28, 2010 back in march, i read the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot. Here are some questions to consider as you read the book. The really good book discussion group the immortal life.
Jan 23, 2020 cancer took henrietta lacks, her cells brought forth new science, her family brought her story home. What did you knowthink about henrietta lacks before reading the book. Do you want to share this book with your reading club. The immortal life of henrietta lacks literacy minnesota. The immortal life of henrietta lacks yonkers public schools. Who did what with the cells, when, where and for what purpose. 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 the truth about her sister, elsie. The immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot book club questions 1. This is the discussion guide for the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot bot and our website are here to stay. Discussion questions the immortal life of henrietta lacks. Skloot reveals her journalistic process in order to demonstrate her awareness of the potential harm she could cause to the lacks family by writing this book and. Reading group discussion questionsthe immortal life of henrietta lacks.
Can the immortal cells of henrietta lacks sue for their own. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cellstaken without her knowledge in 1951became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more. Rebecca skloot her name was henrietta lacks, but scientists know her as hela. The immortal life of henrietta lacks 2014 junior community. The immortal life of henrietta lacks audio cd book discussion. Race and racism are woven throughout the book, both in the story presented and in the process of the research for the book. 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. The immortal life of henrietta lacks book club questions. Rebecca skloot first heard henrietta s name in a college class, but not much more was said about her. The doctors didnt make sure that the lacks children understood why they needed to have blood drawn, and deborah, henrietta s daughter, believed that they were giving her a cancer screening. Using the immortal life of henrietta lacks in the classroom will deepen your students understanding of. The lacks family, oprah, and rebecca skloot discuss the immortal life of henrietta lacks, and the lacks familys legacy, on nbc nightly news the question of the white savior. This months novel is rebecca skloots the immortal life of henrietta lacks. Skloot was yet another white person asking the lacks family about henrietta.
As an opportunity to engage broader audiences on these concerns, bioethicists have welcomed the commercial success of rebecca skloots 2010 bestselling book the immortal life of henrietta lacks. We are now introducing cd retail packaging on our site, as well as additional changes. These cells launched a medical revolution and are still alive today. Discussion questions for the immortal life of henrietta lacks are listed 1. In june 1973, a group of researchers gathers at yale to begin a project that will lead to the human genome project. The immortal life of henrietta lacks book discussion the lackses challenged everything i thought i knew about faith, science, journalism and race. Discussion questions for the immortal life of henrietta lacks 1. Id finished the immortal life of henrietta lacks just in time for my book club meeting. Readers should be aware in advance that this book contains scenes that include sexual assault. From mens discussion group 2015 2016 summer 11 reading group list hela cells have been the source of profound advancements in medical, biological and genetic research, but up until now the story of henrietta lacks and her legacy has never been heard. The festivities began with the presentation of a bbc documentary titled the way of all flesh.
Sep 18, 2017 thanks for joining us for chapters 46 of the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot. Aug 25, 2011 author rebecca skloots book, the immortal life of henrietta lacks, is one of the most talked about books of 2010. Nov 27, 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. Epich event the immortal life of henrietta lacks book discussion. Henrietta lacks was an african american woman, who died of cervical cancer in 1951. The immortal life of henrietta lacks reading group choices. The springfield free public librarys really good book discussion group will meet on thursday, june 7, 2012 at 7 pm to discuss the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot. Sep 10, 2012 the first monday of the month the library was closed for labor day, so booked for the day met monday september 10 to discuss rebecca skloots the immortal life of henrietta lacks. 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 hen rietta lacks. Sep 16, 2020 rebecca skloot first heard henrietta s name in a college class, but not much more was said about her. Told through the eyes of her daughter, deborah lacks oprah winfrey, the film chronicles her search, aided by journalist rebecca skloot rose byrne, to.
Discuss the immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot. The network of the national library of medicine nnlm has made it easy to download the discussion. The following three reflections are my responses to both our group discussions and guiding questions that were found in the back of the book. Apr 04, 2017 intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, the immortal life of henrietta lacks soon to be an hbo film starring oprah winfrey and rose byrne captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences. The passage in which the initial fated cells were removed from henrietta lackss. It is a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine. Sep 29, 2017 the story of henrietta lacks cells and cancer research is interesting. I was so impacted by the story that i decided to choose it as a reading selection for my book club. Oprah winfrey and rose byrne star in this adaptation of the criticallyacclaimed book.
This is an extraordinary book, haunting and beautifully told. Georgetown township public library book discussion guide the. Feb 07, 2010 book probes immortal life of henrietta lacks henrietta lacks, a poor africanamerican woman and mother of five, never knew that she revolutionized medicine. In 1952 doctors took cells from henrietta lacks without asking. A comprehensive guide to the reading group experience diana loevy 374. In your opinion, what were the most interesting parts of the book. Did anything you read change your previous opinions. Jan 08, 2021 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 the truth about her sister, elsie. The immortal life of henrietta lacks by rebecca skloot book. The immortal life of henrietta lacks the monday evening.
However, as much as i searched, i was unable to find a published discussion guide for the book to facilitate a discussion. The lackses challenged everything i thought i knew about faith, science, journalism. Catch up on chapters, chapters 46, chapters 79, chapters 1012, chapters 15, chapters 1618, chapters 1921, and chapters 2224. The immortal life of henrietta lacks tells the story of henrietta lacks renee elise goldsberry, an africanamerican woman whose cells were used to create the first immortal human cell line.
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