Our First Read!
-
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Call Number: RC265.6.L24 S55 2011ISBN: 9781400052189Publication Date: 2011-03-08
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more. Henrietta’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can’t afford health insurance.
This New York Times bestseller takes readers on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers filled with HeLa cells, from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia, to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew. It’s a story inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we’re made of.
Content Warning: Readers should be aware in advance that this book contains scenes that include sexual assault.
Meeting 1: Chapters 1-11
Date: Wednesday, December 15, 2020
Time: 7:00PM - 8:30PM
Campus: Online
Join us for the inaugural meeting of the Give Me a Break Book Club! We'll discuss Chapters 1-11 of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.
For Zoom meeting security, registration is required.
Meeting 2: Chapters 12-22
Date: Wednesday, December 22, 2020
Time: 7:00PM - 8:30PM
Campus: Online
Join us for the second meeting of the Give Me a Break Book Club! We'll discuss Chapters 12-22 of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.
For Zoom meeting security, registration is required.
Meeting 3: Chapters 23-37
Date: Wednesday, December 29, 2020
Time: 7:00PM - 8:30PM
Campus: Online
Join us for the third meeting of the Give Me a Break Book Club! We'll discuss Chapters 23-37 of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.
For Zoom meeting security, registration is required.