Hi. It’s me. And I’m 48 hours late. In my small defense, I
ended up on an emergency-of-sorts work trip and at a hotel with
extremely limited internet access. So limited that I could connect but not even
Twitter would load. So I spent a weekend living in 1998 and falling behind in
exactly everything in life. I’m finally 65% caught up on grad school, about
-110% caught up on high school (I worked so hard today and still ended up
farther behind than when I started), and I am counting myself 75% behind on
blogging since I have three different posts bouncing around in my head and
exactly zero written to completion.
All that to say, I’m sorry to get book club off to a late
start this year. I know things don’t look so promising based on last year’s performance,
but last week just ate. me. alive.
That's all behind me now and I’m excited to finally get this show on the road and talk shop with you!
Look, I even have my iced Americano with me so you know this
is legit. And don’t judge me for typing in Microsoft Word first. My computer is (was) failing to connect to the internet at the coffee shop but I will not be
defeated. #Commitment #Whateverthecost So let's do this thing-- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.
1. Did you like the book? Was it what you were expecting or hoping for? Why or why not? As I admitted before, I had pregamed this book a couple of years ago so I had a little idea of what I would be reading. However, what I didn’t realize was the two parallel story lines that would co-exist throughout the book. Overall, I appreciated the intertwining of the personal Lacks story with the scientific research and development so, yes, I did like the book. I found myself constantly thinking about how much I would love to use this book in my classroom, but my current school is too conservative for some of the content. The issues raised about medical ethics, healthcare, poverty, race, etc. would be fascinating to work through with high schoolers as many students are just starting to form their own opinions on such things at this stage of their lives and this book offers valuable insight into such a life-changing discovery that still affects us in so many ways today.
2. What did you think of the style of the book? Skloot wrote a nonfiction piece that read as a piece of narrative fiction. Did you like that? Why or why not? At this point in my life, I really appreciated the narrative tone of this book. I read so much academic nonfiction for my job and graduate school that I enjoyed getting lost in a book that read like fiction but was actually nonfiction. I just finished another book of the same style, Brain on Fire, and I highly recommend checking it out—I finished it in four days!
3. Of the two concurrent storylines in the book, did you find yourself favoring one over the other?Going into the book, I had no idea that the scientific research storyline even existed. Overall, I enjoyed the humanistic storyline of the Lacks more, but I really do appreciate the insight and development brought on by the more objective research. While I do not necessarily agree with the way Henrietta Lacks’ situation was handled, the research storyline helped me to see and understand how events were able to unfold as they did and why the doctors felt they were justified to act as they did. I found the Lacks family to be very deep and complex, even if they may not appear as such on the surface. Their issues of poverty and lacking education really gave life and reality to many issues Americans have faced in the past and some are still facing today, especially with the issues of Common Core and Obamacare at the forefront of our nation.
4. Who was your favorite character and/or to whom did you find yourself most attached? My favorite character had to be Henrietta’s daughter Deborah. As much as I attached to Henrietta at the beginning of the book, I found myself enjoying Deborah even more as the story unfolded. Her story is so deep and complex and truly reflects the situation of somebody who is poor and uneducated in life. Perhaps I was reading this too much from a teacher's perspective, but I found myself fascinated with all of the possibilities to help my students see life from somebody else's point of view-- especially since I work in a school with quite affluent families who will send their children to the top universities in the world. For these kids, a lack of education means having to attend a state school instead of a private college... not being unaware of what a cell is. Furthermore, I just loved Deborah's spirit and spunk. Maybe I identified with her after having walked along my dad on his own extensive journey to recovery, but I remember the feelings of wanting to do the best by him and understand as much as I was able in his complex medical journey.
5. What are your final reactions after reading the book? So many issues were raised and so many ideas were presented. How do you feel as you walk away from the book? I don't have any super strong reactions other than I am just very glad I read the book. I am grateful for the journey into somebody else's life and I feel convicted, once again, to recognize how blessed I really am. I am grateful for all of the advances in medical research, but they truly did come at a price. A few cells may not seem like much to some, but look at the snowball these few cells caused. I walked away from this book challenged and I think that's the best feeling to have.
(via)
1. Did you like the book? Was it what you were expecting or hoping for? Why or why not? As I admitted before, I had pregamed this book a couple of years ago so I had a little idea of what I would be reading. However, what I didn’t realize was the two parallel story lines that would co-exist throughout the book. Overall, I appreciated the intertwining of the personal Lacks story with the scientific research and development so, yes, I did like the book. I found myself constantly thinking about how much I would love to use this book in my classroom, but my current school is too conservative for some of the content. The issues raised about medical ethics, healthcare, poverty, race, etc. would be fascinating to work through with high schoolers as many students are just starting to form their own opinions on such things at this stage of their lives and this book offers valuable insight into such a life-changing discovery that still affects us in so many ways today.
2. What did you think of the style of the book? Skloot wrote a nonfiction piece that read as a piece of narrative fiction. Did you like that? Why or why not? At this point in my life, I really appreciated the narrative tone of this book. I read so much academic nonfiction for my job and graduate school that I enjoyed getting lost in a book that read like fiction but was actually nonfiction. I just finished another book of the same style, Brain on Fire, and I highly recommend checking it out—I finished it in four days!
3. Of the two concurrent storylines in the book, did you find yourself favoring one over the other?Going into the book, I had no idea that the scientific research storyline even existed. Overall, I enjoyed the humanistic storyline of the Lacks more, but I really do appreciate the insight and development brought on by the more objective research. While I do not necessarily agree with the way Henrietta Lacks’ situation was handled, the research storyline helped me to see and understand how events were able to unfold as they did and why the doctors felt they were justified to act as they did. I found the Lacks family to be very deep and complex, even if they may not appear as such on the surface. Their issues of poverty and lacking education really gave life and reality to many issues Americans have faced in the past and some are still facing today, especially with the issues of Common Core and Obamacare at the forefront of our nation.
4. Who was your favorite character and/or to whom did you find yourself most attached? My favorite character had to be Henrietta’s daughter Deborah. As much as I attached to Henrietta at the beginning of the book, I found myself enjoying Deborah even more as the story unfolded. Her story is so deep and complex and truly reflects the situation of somebody who is poor and uneducated in life. Perhaps I was reading this too much from a teacher's perspective, but I found myself fascinated with all of the possibilities to help my students see life from somebody else's point of view-- especially since I work in a school with quite affluent families who will send their children to the top universities in the world. For these kids, a lack of education means having to attend a state school instead of a private college... not being unaware of what a cell is. Furthermore, I just loved Deborah's spirit and spunk. Maybe I identified with her after having walked along my dad on his own extensive journey to recovery, but I remember the feelings of wanting to do the best by him and understand as much as I was able in his complex medical journey.
5. What are your final reactions after reading the book? So many issues were raised and so many ideas were presented. How do you feel as you walk away from the book? I don't have any super strong reactions other than I am just very glad I read the book. I am grateful for the journey into somebody else's life and I feel convicted, once again, to recognize how blessed I really am. I am grateful for all of the advances in medical research, but they truly did come at a price. A few cells may not seem like much to some, but look at the snowball these few cells caused. I walked away from this book challenged and I think that's the best feeling to have.
I hope you enjoyed the book as well! Thank you for joining me this month!
PS-I look forward to sharing Me Before You by Jojo Moyes with you in February. Please come back on February 18 for the questions!
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