The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
By: Rebecca Skloot
Summer Reading 2012

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. 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. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.

Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia—a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo—to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells.

Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family—past and present—is 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 are made of.

Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family—especially Henrietta’s daughter Deborah, who was devastated to learn about her mother’s cells. She was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Did it hurt her when researchers infected her cells with viruses and shot them into space? What happened to her sister, Elsie, who died in a mental institution at the age of fifteen? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance? 


(Taken from Amazon.com description)


Rating: 5/5
Language: PG-13, nothing too bad from what I remember
Sexual Content: PG, none remembered
Violence: PG-13, its a non-fiction book, and the racism back then was terrible, as well as what they put Henrietta Lack through was extreme


This is a work of nonfiction, Henrietta Lacks was a real person, and her cells live on today, and have led to many scientific discoveries. This book focuses on what it did to her family, and how Henrietta, gifted, or perhaps cursed with immortal cells was tested time and time again, and how she was never once mentioned as the person who unwillingly gave cells, the cells were referenced as HeLa. Working for ten years to research and develop this book, Rebecca Skloot gave us a masterpiece to read here. I was studying genetics when I read this book, and it not only gave me a sense of who Henrietta is, but what the cells were used for, and I was able to study and understand the science of genetics so much more! A great work, but not for those who have trouble with science or do not like nonfiction.

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer
By: John Grisham
Summer Reading 2012

A perfect murder.
A faceless witness.
A lone courtroom champion knows the whole truth…and he's only thirteen years old.
Meet Theodore Boone.

In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he's only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he's one of them. Theo knows every judge, policeman, court clerk—and a lot about the law. He dreams of being a great trial lawyer, of a life in the courtroom.
But Theo finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much—maybe too much—he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth.

The stakes are high, but Theo won't stop until justice is served. 

(Taken From the Book's Synopsis)

Rating: 5/5
Language: G, absolutely none! Entirely kid friendly!!
Sexual Content: G, again, kid friendly!
Violence: PG, It is a murder trial, but it isn't overly descriptive, and there are no illustrations done so you don't see anything graphic

Theodore Boone is from a family of lawyers, but while his family deals in minor incidents, Theodore wants to be big time lawyer, dealing with the big, criminal cases. Many details involving the judicial system were needed, and despite how complicated the judicial system is, this was a quick, and an easy read. I enjoyed it immensely, but I also enjoy criminology. It was fascinating how Grisham was able to involve the judicial system in such detail but still make it simple for my younger brother to read. I recommend this book if you need a simple book to read this summer. I'm looking forward to getting into the rest of the series, but also into some of Grisham's other books, such as The Confession, A Time To Kill, and others from his pile of works!

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl
By: Barry Lyga
RPLTG - July

Fanboy has never had it good, but lately his sophomore year is turning out to be its own special hell. The bullies have made him their favorite target, his best (and only) friend seems headed for the dark side (sports and popularity), and his pregnant mother and the step-fascist are eagerly awaiting the birth of the alien life form known as Fanboy's new little brother or sister.

Fanboy, though, has a secret: a graphic novel he's been working on without telling anyone, a graphic novel that he is convinced will lead to publication, fame, and--most important of all--a way out of the crappy little town he lives in and all the people that make it hell for him.

When Fanboy meets Kyra, a.k.a. Goth Girl, he finds an outrageous, cynical girl who shares his love of comics as well as his hatred for jocks and bullies. Fanboy can't resist someone who actually seems to understand him, and soon he finds himself willing to heed her advice--to ignore or crush anyone who stands in his way.

(Review taken from amazon.com)

Violence: PG-13, Fanboy deals with punches from bullies, and Kyra SPOLIER (highlight if you want to see it) tries to commit suicide before the book begins, but it is mentioned throughout the novel

Rating: 3.5/5

Language: PG-13, though the words aren't used that often if I remember correctly

Sexual Content: R, Kyra flashes two people, and the boys mention having sex quite often

This was a pretty good book, but the genre, its never been one of my favorites. The plot, I felt, missed a few key points, that made me confused a bit, but I can't reveal for spoiler problems. And Goth Girl/Kyra, I just didn't like her personality, I understood what she went through, but did she need to act like that? But anyways, the sequel is out, and I'm not quite sure if I'll read it or not. But we will see as the summer moves along