Book Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot 

This book destroyed my complacency and kept me up nights. It’s not a warm-fuzzy, feel-good book. For three years I refused to read it even though it’s prominently recommended on a reading program that I participate in. Finally I gave in to curiosity. From intro to end I waffled between approval and scorn; compassion and resentment; sympathy and impatience, with anger at the injustice of Henrietta’s life being the primary emotion. I was furious at her husband and various extended relatives, but she loved them all.

It opens in the 1940s when racial segregation ruled, even in Baltimore. I cheered John Hopkins Hospital for treating her advanced cancer, knowing she had no money or insurance. Yet many medical facilities and personnel became wealthy from the study and research of her healthy cells as well as the cancerous ones. Fame and fortune was made from her living cells, but she never even knew they had been harvested. No one sought her permission. Through their study inestimable benefits blessed the world. Millions of her cells, known as HeLa, still flourish in labs all over the world.

I felt appreciation for the skill and intelligence of the doctors and researchers whose dedication helped stop polio. Their vaccine protected my own children. Henrietta gave scientists a lifetime of work toward preventing and curing cancer, of understanding viruses and wiping out many diseases. Her cells led to discoveries in the fields of in vitro fertilization, cloning, human genetics and a multi-billion dollar industry selling human biology materials. Yet none of the proceeds were shared with Henrietta or her family.

The book raises important issues regarding science, ethics, race and class. You cannot read it and remain untouched. But if you are intrigued with both scientific and human interest elements, this book is for you.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely!

Find it in Amazon!

Will you sue?

We have become a litigious society. A lady spills hot coffee in her lap and sues McDonald’s. A teenager is arrested for DUI and his parents sue the club where he purchased the alcohol. Your neighbor trips on your steps and sues you for negligence. A new twist is, “If your kid gives my kid measles, I’ll sue.”

There’s a hypothetical case study in the Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics that explores whether there’s a case for holding people legally accountable for the damage they cause by not vaccinating their children.

A large number of people, called anti-vaxxers, refuse to vaccinate their children based on rumors that the vaccine causes autism. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that fear is unfounded.

But what if a mother decides not to vaccinate her four-year old for measles, the child contacts the disease and passes it to a one-year old, who is too young for the vaccine? And what if the baby dies?

My own opinion, unsolicited and offered at no charge, is that parents can make a legitimate and state-sanctioned choice not to vaccinate because they fear for their children’s safety. However, they should understand that their decisions are putting other children at risk.

To sue or not to sue – that is the question.

Student Loan Rates Reduced

Grab a chair and hold on to your hat!! Good news just came out of DC!! An area newspaper reports in bold headlines: Obama signs bill to restore lower interest rates on student loans.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers set aside their bitter partisanship and passed a bill which is a first step in reining in college costs. Obama praised them for “a sensible approach to student loans.”

House Speaker John Boehner called the law part of the “Republican jobs plan.” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said it “stands in stark contrast to the House Republicans’ plan to saddle families with billions more in student debt.”

Folks in Texas just said, “Yippee!  It’s a step in the right direction.”

Influence of the Famous

Time Magazine has named its 2013 list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Of  the 100 named, I’m personally influenced by about 25. The list ranges from Barrack Hussein Obama, President of the United States, to Bassem Youssef, the John Stewart of Egypt. Scattered between them are Pope Francis, Kim Jong Un, Stephen Spielberg, Kate Middleton and Gabrielle Giffords.

In sports there is Lebron James; in entertainment Lady Gaga and Beyonce.

Rand Paul, a rebel GOP voice of reason, is listed first in the leaders category that also lists Joe Biden, Elena Kagan and Chris Christie.

Repeat dignitaries of influence and power are Bill Gates, Oprah and Hillary Clinton.

The influence of Barrack Hussein Obama is felt and will be felt by every resident alien and America citizen, including me, for decades. I am grateful for Stephen Spielberg‘s talent. My interest is piqued by both Kate Middleton and Gabrielle Giffords but for very different reasons.

Lebron James, Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Oprah influence me not at all. Nor do Joe Biden, Elena Kagan and Chris Christie at this time.

I’m interested in Rand Paul and may feel his influence in the future. To date, I’ve experienced no direct influence from Hillary Clinton, although I do have opinions.

Every time I sit at my computer, I’m gratefully influenced by Bill Gates. And I admire his philanthropic work.

Who influences you most in 2013?

Life Skills 101- Essential or Luxury?

Sitting in the darkened auditorium, I watched the graduates walk proudly across the bright stage. I looked at their radiant faces and thought: That mind will work in a lab.  That mind will teach children. The third one will design buildings; the fourth will fight fires. That mind will fly airplanes; the next one will sell real estate. That mind will study the sea. That one will nurse the sick. The one approaching will help the environment; the next will plan cities. That mind will fix jet engines. That one will write a novel. 

On they came striding purposefully, each with potential and promise; each one able to contribute to the good of mankind. But they need training to develop their skills. Will that be available? Will the rising cost of tuition and student loans crush their dreams? 

The waste of a good mind is a terrible thing. Somehow, someway, we much make sure our students receive the instruction and training they need. Any suggestions?