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About the Book
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot tells the story of a medical miracle. In 1951 while doctors were searching for a cure for cancer and a vaccine to prevent polio, a tissue sample was taken from the cervical tumor of a poor African American woman in Baltimore, Maryland. The cells from that tumor reproduced at an amazing rate outside the human body and became the building blocks for practically every advance in modern medicine over the past 50 years. Scientists referred to the cells as “HeLa” for the first two letters of the first and last name of the woman from whom they were taken – Henrietta Lacks.
Neither Henrietta, who died in 1952, nor her family were asked for consent or informed that the tissue sample had been taken. The family did not learn of the proliferation of Henrietta’s cells in research until the mid-1970s. By that time, some laboratories were making millions selling the cell line, while the Lacks family remained rooted in poverty.
Student, staff and faculty members of the Common Reading Book Committee chose The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks because it represents the kind of challenging, thought-provoking book we look for in our Agnes Reads program, which introduces incoming students to the richness, variety and excitement of a liberal education.
Your Required Summer Reading
Your fellow entering students, as well as faculty, staff and students on campus, and Agnes Scott alumnae around the country will participate in this Agnes Read. Enrolled students are asked to purchase a copy of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks this summer, and create a response to the book based on prompts developed by the Agnes Reads Committee. Your response may take the form of an essay, memoir, poem, photographic essay, musical composition, painting or drawing, etc. Responses to the book must be submitted by Monday, August 6, 2012 via the web form link found on the prompts and instruction page. For responses that are other than written, a brief abstract describing your project should be submitted, and the project should be brought with you when you arrive on campus. Special events showcasing responses to the read will take place during orientation.
We also invite you to visit our Agnes Reads Program blog, hosted by User Education Librarian Casey Long, where you can read about the book and leave your own comment. In addition, Casey has prepared a Libguide that includes an author profile, reviews and information about Rebecca Skloot and the Lacks family.
Past first-year books at Agnes Scott College have included How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer, Outcasts United by Warren St. John, Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman, The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, American Woman by Susan Choi and Bee Season by Myla Goldberg.
Questions?
Susan Dougherty, Co-chair of the Common Reading Committee, is your current contact for the Common Reading. She can be contacted at sdougherty@agnesscott.edu.
