Carol M. chose the book and hosted the meeting.
Book club began with Carol sharing interesting facts about
the author, Rebecca Skloot. Rebecca did not
do well in school until the age of 16, and then took a biology course that
talked about the HeLa cells. She wanted
to find out more. She took a creative
writing class in college and was assigned to write about an ethical issue. She applied to vet grad schools but a professor
advised her to be a writer and she “changed directions.” Her writer hero is John McFee. She took ten years to write this book. The Lacks grandchildren were excited that the
book was being written about their grandmother.
Today Johns Hopkins has a program to help people that do not have
medical insurance. JH has a “microscope
day” to look at HeLa cells. No money or
apology was ever given to the Lacks family from Johns Hopkins. Rebecca Skloot started the Henrietta Lacks
Foundation and she is an advisor on a movie that Oprah Winfrey bought the
rights to. Today RS lives in Chicago West Virginia
Barb shared the extensive consent
forms that are used presently in HMC. Regulations drive a lot of the consent form.
Discussion
items included:
- Lacks
family very uneducated and Henrietta and her husband were actually related.
- Deborah
(Henrietta’s daughter) was quite a character! Her childhood was awful and she did not trust people. It took a long time for her to trust Rebecca.
- Many
of us were touched by the doctor’s assistant commenting on Henrietta’s nails
being painted. Made her a real person
rather than just a science specimen.
- Many
felt that the Lacks family does not deserve compensation or credit for the HeLa
cells.
- Disturbing
parts of the book were the childhood abuse, sister abuse in the mental
hospital, violence in Zakariyya’s life and total disregard for letting
Henrietta’s family know why they were taking blood and DNA from them.
- Setting: Clover, VA reminded us of the Old South;
poverty stricken, shacks, inbreeding, town disappearing.
Author's website: http://rebeccaskloot.com/
YouTube video watched at the meeting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYDPNlJ5Fi0
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