Rebecca Skloot, author of bestselling book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” speaks on campus at UCLA Live event
By Noor Eid
Nov. 1, 2011 12:11 a.m.
When Henrietta Lacks’ cervical cancer cells were taken from her during a visit to Johns Hopkins hospital in 1951, they were labeled as HeLa, taking the first two letters of her first and last name. These cells continued to reproduce, establishing the first line of immortal human cells, which became the primary agents behind medical breakthroughs worldwide, including the polio vaccine and gene mapping. Lacks’ identity was mostly forgotten, until now.
Rebecca Skloot, the author of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” will be at Royce Hall today to discuss the writing process and the 10-year journey behind her scientific and personal account of Henrietta Lacks.
“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” was the Common Book for incoming freshmen and transfer students at UCLA this year. In this non-fiction book, Skloot travels back in time, unraveling and documenting a vivid, detailed account of the birth of HeLa cells and the woman who made possible some of the most groundbreaking discoveries in medical history.
Meryl Friedman, the Director of Education and Community Programs, said that Skloot will have two presentations during the event. According to Friedman, the first one will have a more personal and intimate setting, where she will discuss her creative process of collecting and writing the story over the past ten years.
The second presentation will consist of prepared remarks and a presentation, followed by a Q&A session.
Friedman said this event will focus on the book, the ethics involved in the research and issues raised on how Skloot created this story.
Friedman said Rebecca is an interesting and personal speaker, and even if you haven’t read the book, the rarity of Skloot’s ambition and determination to pursue this decade-long journey is especially praiseworthy in this day and age, when most people desire instant gratification from any pursuit.
“The instance of following that creative spark and following an interest and keeping the inspirational flame alive in you, sometimes against overwhelming odds, is a really important thing for people to hear about,” Friedman said.
The content of the book results in interplay between scientific research and social sciences.
“It was a really personal story that struck a really personal chord, and the personal nature of the book is interestingly juxtaposed with the science,” Friedman said.
Lori Vogelgesang, associate director for the Office of Residential Life, was involved in running the Common Book program this year. Vogelgesang said they wanted to choose a book students would be inclined to pick up and read over summer.
“Of paramount importance is that it engages students in issues that can be viewed from diverse perspectives,” Vogelgesang said.
Khari Johnson, a second-year sociology student who read the book after a friend’s recommendation, said she enjoyed the honesty of the book as well as its historical and scientific content.
“It only makes sense for students to become that much more educated in such an important story in history,” Johnson said. “This will be rewritten into the history books and the UCLA community should know about it before that happens.”
