Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

There is a great BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE here

There is also a TEACHER'S GUIDE here.  This is so darn cool!!!! It has questions by CHAPTER and by SUBJECT and by LITERARY TECHNIQUES.

I particularly liked these questions:

1. When Henrietta’s story first appeared in the mainstream media in 1976, many viewed it as one of race and racism. Evaluate whether or not you think this is an appropriate way to interpret the story. How do you think public interpretation might have been different if the story had been published at the time of Henrietta’s death in 1951? How is it being interpreted now? Analyze the cultural and historic events that have influenced, or would influence, these interpretations.

2. Consider Deborah’s comment on page 276: “Like I’m always telling my brothers, if you gonna go into history, you can’t do it with a hate attitude. You got to remember, times was different.” How does cultural perspective influence the way history is recorded, taught, and studied? Why is it important to approach history from an objective point of view? Why is this approach sometimes difficult?

3. Although a right to privacy is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, the Supreme Court has established that it is inherently protected by the Constitution. Explain the numerous ways that the Lacks family’s right to privacy was violated. Discuss the importance of the right to privacy. How has this right evolved over the course of American history? How is it being challenged by emergent technologies? How have groups of people such as African Americans, women, children, and most recently, immigrants, fought for legislation protecting their right to privacy? Cite specific court cases and/or current events.

ONLINE RESOURCES
Author Web site: http://rebeccaskloot.com/

Lacks family Web site: http://www.lacksfamily.com/

Radio lab segment on the story of Henrietta Lacks and her children, featuring audio footage of Deborah Lacks talking about her mother’s cells, and actual recordings of key scenes from the book: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2010/05/07/segments/150681

Fresh Air’s Terry Gross interviews the author: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123232331

CBS Sunday Morning piece featuring interviews with the author, members of the Lacks family, and a representative from Johns Hopkins: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6304949n&tag=related;photovideo

Tavis Smiley interviews the author: http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/201005/20100514_skloot.html

“Are We Alone?” public radio segment focusing on the science of HeLa cells: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Cell_Cell_

Author appearance on The Colbert Report: http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/267542/march-16-2010/rebecca-skloot

Slate article about the Law & Order episode based on the book: http://www.slate.com/id/2257189

The author combined her personal story and research with that of Henrietta Lacks and her family to help us understand pieces of scientific history, specifically medical research. There were many topics and themes that came up in discussion. Here is a quick recap of some that I remember!

Bioethics

– Today the definition of “informed consent” is unclear.   Some of us have signed waivers about “releasing body parts/cells” before surgery and others of us can’t remember signing any special paperwork. 

– We talked about how once a body part (or placenta, mole, or other cell) leaves your body, it is considered “trash,” but that doesn’t mean it is incinerated.  Some cells go into research or storage. 

– We might not like what is being researched, but can only designate BEFORE the cells are taken.

– Some of the research of related to ancestry, gender, for prolife (when does life begin?) and we wondered whether or not we wanted to have our cells be used “against us” or for a (political) cause we didn’t support.

Racism

– Skloot, the author, was yet another white person asking the Lacks family about Henrietta. 

– Henrietta (and her institutionalized sister) was treated more badly because she was African American.  She didn’t have proper treatment for her cancer and wasn’t even treated for over a year after she first noticed a problem. This could have been because she was a women and/or because of her race.

Poverty

– The book is filled with stories of people used as research subjects, sometimes without their knowledge, sometimes with ill-informed consent, sometimes because of their inability to understand (patients with mental illness) or resist (prisoners). 

–  Most of us knew this history existed, but we hadn’t thought about all the ramifications.

Science

– Some of us now have a better understanding of cell biology.

– We have thought about donating body/cell parts to further research, and also about the laws changing to require consent.

– Henrietta never provided consent for her cells to be taken and used – although this was a little confusing in the book, did her husband give consent after the fact?

 

Writing Style

– It was interesting to hear about Deborah’s abuse by Galen in Chapter 15. 

– Deborah’s story made the whole story more interesting.

 

Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

As you will know, if you have finished the book, dictionaries can vary a little one from another.  There are several "Flower Dictionaries" on line, as well as posters.

Questions to prompt thinking and Connection:

1) What kind of nonverbal communication systems do you have with family and close friends?  If you were to use flowers, to whom would you send a bouquet and what would it say?

2) Do you have any "18 year old regrets?"  Why do you think Elizabeth waits so long to patch things up with her sister, Catherine?  Have you given/received any "second chances"?

3) The first week after her daughter’s birth goes surprisingly well for Victoria. What is it that makes Victoria feel unable to care for her child after the weekends? And what is it that allows her to ultimately rejoin her family?

Quotes:

My own husband! The man who had been there every day—monitoring our baby and me with careful attention—thought I was as overwhelmed as the new mother in my book, Victoria.

“It’s fiction!” I told him, exasperated. “Don’t you know I made it all up?”

The trouble is—as much as I deny it—my character does, in specific instances, think and behave exactly like me.

Random House link: http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/features/vanessa_diffenbaugh/  

Planned Discussion Questions 

1. What potential do Elizabeth, Renata, and Grant see in Victoria that she has a hard time seeing in herself?

2. While Victoria has been hungry and malnourished often in her life, food ends up meaning more than just nourishment to her. Why?

3. Victoria and Elizabeth both struggle with the idea of being part of a family. What does it mean to you to be part of a family? What defines family?

4. Why do you think Elizabeth waits so long be fore trying to patch things up with her long-lost sister Catherine? What is the impetus for her to do so?

5. What did you think of the structure of the book – the alternating chapters of past and present? In what ways did the two storylines parallel each other, and how did they diverge?

6. The novel touches on many different themes (love, family, forgiveness, second chances). Which do you think is the most important? And what did you think was ultimately the lesson?

7.  At the end of the novel, Victoria learns that moss grows without roots. What does this mean, and why is it such a revelation for her?

8.  Based on your reading of the novel, what are your impressions of the foster care system in America? What could be improved?

9.  Knowing what you now know about the language of the flowers, to whom would you send a bouquet and what would you want it to say?

Spanish Soap Operas by Erin McCormack

Spanish Soap Operas by Erin McCormick. Against her parents’ wishes, recent college grad Gretchen Kemp has left small-town Ohio with her best friend, Kimberly, to make a new life in New York City. But when Kimberly is assaulted outside their apartment and decides to leave, Gretchen is on her own. Lonely and isolated, she takes a chance on two new friends from very different worlds: on the one hand, Bloomingdales and celebrity auctions with golden girl Paige; on the other, salsa clubs and telenovelas with vibrant, sassy Marisol. Quickly, New York becomes a place of wonder and excitement as Gretchen gets caught up in her friends’ soap opera-like lives. But the city has another side, drugs and violence, which links their lives in unexpected and dangerous ways, threatening Gretchen’s new friendships and her ability to survive in the city.

SUMMARY of Spanish Soap Operas

I won’t be able to capture Erin’s words and feelings as well as hearing from her in person, but I’ll try.  Learning about Erin’s process and why she self-published is inspiring.  We should all know that if we have elders in our lives and want to share something we have been working on that they are looking forward to, we CAN publish, even if not perfect and finish that novel. Self-publishing also allows you to go back and revise more easily than going through a publishing house.  Topics we discussed are categorized below:

Cross-cultural Relationships

•  These women supported each other across ethnic and racial lines.
•  Love/hate (or thinking about not being friends) is part of relationship building.
•  Keeping secrets can damage relationships in not allowing others to help you, when they really want •  to help, and also in making things much harder on yourself.
•  You know who your friends are when… you find yourself in a crisis, and they are/are not there for you.
•  The women grow in their understanding of each other and appreciate what each person has to offer as an individual from another culture.

-       Gretchen learns about dancing, community, various spiritual practices

-       Marisol appreciates that Paige offers a safe apartment for Gretchen to recuperate

-       Paige has a lot going on with her health and her fiancé’s drug use, but still is there for Gretchen and also appreciates that Gretchen’s relationship with Marisol is important to Gretchen.

-       Each woman learns their own limitations and that they need help from each other.

-       It was great to see the three perspectives on helping Gretchen to heal after the fire: science, prayer, and candles.

Paige, Marisol, and Gretchen come with their own prejudices/privileges which impact their relationships and how they see the word.  Some of these themes thread through the novel and into the lives of other associated chracters.

•  Homophobia/Heterosexism

-       Marisol could accept her brother privately, but did not want his sexuality on public display (e.g. in paintings)

•  Classism

-       Paige was wealthy, did fundraising benefits, organized parties, and chose whom to invite (or exclude), sometimes based on politics.  She had the ability to network in ways that would help her friends. 

-       Gretchen made decisions based on “her own rules” like when to donate to can-handlers/homeless on the streets. 

-       Gretchen also feared being in the “wrong neighborhood,” even though drugs were clearly happening on the wealthy side of town, too.

-       Homelessness is “houselessness” as George Carlin says.  Gretchen gets a feeling for what it’s like to so easily become homeless after he apartment goes up in flames.

-       The topic of bearing children or having an abortion is also related to class.

•  Racism

-       Gretchen made assumptions about Latinas and noticed appearance, but not skills or intelligence, until she got to know Marisol. 

-       The Latino men went to jail for drug use, the white man went to rehab.

Independence/Growing Up

We were glad to see the gals “sticking with it” out on their own, away from home.  And, that each character is strong and independent, not needing to rely on a man (father, brother, boyfriend).  We also liked that they got to meet their “heroes,” like Paige meeting Kent, the artist.