Book Signing: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - February 12, 2010
Web: http://rebeccaskloot.com/? page_id=8
On February 12 at 7:00 PM, Seacoast Afrian American Cultural Center in collaboration with RiverRun Bookstore, will host a book signing for author Rebecca Skloot. This event will be at RiverRun Bookstore, 20 Congress Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801 (603) 431-2100
Rebecca has a new work of non-fiction coming out called THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS. Information on the author and book can be found at http://rebeccaskloot.com/?page_id=8. This month's issue of Oprah's magazine includes a 5000 word excerpt from this book.
The following review is from Booklist:
This distinctive work skillfully puts a human face on the bioethical questions surrounding the HeLa cell line. Henrietta Lacks, an African American mother of five, was undergoing treatment for cancer at Johns Hopkins University in 1951 when tissue samples were removed without her knowledge or permission and used to create HeLa, the first "immortal" cell line. HeLa has been sold around the world and used in countless medical research applications, including the development of the polio vaccine. Science writer Skloot, who worked on this book for ten years, entwines Lacks's biography, the development of the HeLa cell line, and her own story of building a relationship with Lacks's children. Full of dialog and vivid detail, this reads like a novel, but the science behind the story is also deftly handled. VERDICT While there are other titles on this controversy (e.g., Michael Gold's "A Conspiracy of Cells: One Woman's Immortal Legacyand the Medical Scandal It Caused"), this is the most compelling account for general readers, especially those interested in questions of medical research ethics. Highly recommended.
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