Assessment

The Immortall Life of Henrietta Lacks was a good choice for summer reading for this freshman class because most of the incoming freshmen are biology, pre-medical or chemistry, pre-pharmacy majors. I also think the book was a good view into the world modern medicine in America in the mid 20th century and it was well written in the sense that you did not have to be a graduate school medical school student to understand the terms in the book she mad easy for any common person to understand. It also made me appreciate the fact that I can go anywhere in America and get medical treatment if in need it and I can not be denied treatment because of my skin color whereas Henrietta Lacks and to go all the way to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland just to get a simple examination because no other hospital would see her just because she was a black woman. Also, Rebecka Skloot made Henrietta Lacks appear to me as an actual human being instead of just a scientific and medical phenomenon as she had appeared to me before. Rebecka Skloot also showed us how badly the doctors treated Henrietta Lacks and her family by not telling them that Henrietta’s cells created a scientific breakthrough and that her cells have been helping thousands of people around the world and I think that that can relate to the Xavier Mission Statement of wanting to work towards a more just and humane society.

Assessment of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

I would have to say that The Immortall Life of Henrietta Lacks was a phenomenal book. Not only was the topic an extremely fascinating one but it was also written by a superb author. During many of the scenes, I felt as if I was actually in the room with Rebecca Skloot myself. When Skloot was unable to speak to the family, I felt like I was a fly on the wall. When Skloot finally meets the family and began to describe them, one by one, I felt like I could reach out and touch these people. I felt that way to the point where I cold even see my family members in a lot of Henrietta Lacks’ family members and Henrietta herself.

I think this was an inspiring choice for freshman seminar. For many people, when there are no characters or very few to relate to, they can not find the urge to pick up the book because they have no connection to the characters of the storyline. As Xavier is a historically black university, the fact that Henrietta is an African American woman who was not wealthy and had to struggle to get what she wanted probably helped spark the interests of a lot of the freshman. Also, it allows for a lot of science to be snuck in through the ornate story that Skloot tells us. This is also beneficial as Xavier is a school known for its scientific department.

The most important message that can be taken away from this book is that you should never give up because good things will com to good people. Deborah was such a caring woman and her perseverance to earn about her mother has brought many great things to the Lacks’ family since this book has came out and even recently. It shows that even with an education less than average, if one works, they can pick themselves up by their bootstraps.

Do Unto Other and You Would Have Them Do Unto You

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a very inspirational story that emphasizes the theme of selflessness. Analysts and critics of the book may argue outstanding factors such as what was Rebecca Skloot’s purpose in writing the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks or what the book says about the misconduct in the medical industry; nonetheless, I believe this book is an example of having selflessness.
　　
The obvious factor that helps emphasize the theme of selflessness is the idea that -because of Henrietta’s genuine and sweet character- she would not be objective to the idea of contributing to the expansion of medicine. Despite Dr. Gey and the other medical figures failure to get Henrietta’s authorization to take her cells and utilize them to formulate medical advancements, it is inferred -based on her character- that she would have been more than willing to assist, especially if it involved saving the lives of other people.

Another example of selflessness represented in the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks includes the Lack’s family will to be interviewed by Rebecca Skloot. Initially, when approached by Rebecca Skloot, the Lack’s family did not wish to be interviewed. Their skepticism and hostility toward society inhibited their desire to interact with those interested in obtaining information about Henrietta Lacks. Eventually, after months, the Lacks family agreed to meet with Rebecca which allowed for the creation and publication of the book. The family was able to put aside their hostile attitudes to meet with Henrietta and discuss the effects the book on their lives and so forth. Their willingness to meet with Rebecca revisits the theme of selflessness because their actions were provoked by an unselfish need.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an inspirational story that I will never forget. I will never forget how free-spirited Henrietta was. I will never forget the origins of the medication that aids me. I will never forget how easy it is to be deceived by figures that are thought to help you. Most importantly, I will never forget to forgive. Forgive those who have wronged you and forgive them without expectations of something in return.

My Novel Assessment

In reading this book, there were other aspects I found of interest via the internet. For example, contamination by HeLa cells was occurring without notice so much so that the book compares the situation to the movie The Blob. Then there is John Moore’s story, a battle with his doctor who patented his cells, and Ted Slavin, whose doctor, unlike Moore’s, told him that his body was producing something valuable. Slavin contacted labs and drug companies to see if they would buy his antibodies. Their answer was yes, yes and yes.
I like a book that makes me think about issues and present perspectives from different points of view. This book does that.  It makes me wonder how we know if our blood and cells are valuable.  If they are, do we own them? Do you or your family have a right to know if your cells are used in research?  Some of the answers to these questions can be found in the afterword of this book. The court rulings may surprise you, and some will be debated for a long time. I am very thankful for this book, for the incredibly thorough job Skloot did in researching it, and the graceful, respectful job she did in telling it. She hita soft spot in my heart by forming the Henrietta Lacks Foundation, a public charity set up to help Henrietta’s descendants afford health care, college tuition, and other services they might not otherwise have access to, as well as help other needy families who have made important contributions to scientific research without personally benefiting from those contributions, particularly those used in research without their knowledge or consent. I whole heartily applaud her efforts. Though the money may not cover every expense, it’s the thought that counts. Overall the book was a great read, ideal for college students, especially those of a science “based” HBCU. It was a tad tedious at certain points in the book with all of the flashbacks but I enjoyed reading about this story that might have otherwise not been told.

My Overall Opinion

I absolutely believe that this book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, was a good choice to pick for the common reading in all the Freshman Seminar classes. This book was very educational while also relaying to myself, every other reader, a message. The educational part stems from this book giving alot of description and explanation to the science aspects of it. To me, because i’m a science major, I found these parts of the book to be extra interesting because it’s things i’m intrigued by. The most important message I got out of this is that everyone should be treated equal. No matter race, gender, age, time period. No matter what. Just because someone is a different color doesn’t mean you should treat them any differently because I believe if this was about a white woman the scientists would have asked to use her cells for cancer research or at least would have been aware of it unlike Henrietta and her family. This relates to the Xavier mission because Rebecca Skloot was trying to bring forward the the social injustices Henrietta and the Lacks family faced. As a Xavierite, myself and everyone here hold ourselves to a higher standard to not commit any social injustices and to try to make the world around us more humane. We are taught to treat everyone equal because everyone is equal. Making this a common reading for all the Freshman Seminar classes just made the Xavier mission more evident and prominent in my mind. Having such a strong mission for a university makes reading things like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks hard because emotions get involved due to the fact of knowing that this is social injustice, inhumane, and just plain wrong. It makes me want to work harder to promote the Xavier mission because it is such a strong message that everyone should embody.

Summer Reading

I think the book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” was a good choice for this year’s freshman to read over the summer. I thought the book was very interesting. I have always loved science and Rebecca Skloot made me enjoy it even more by putting it in story form to make learning about it fun. The book also helped to start many debates in our freshman seminar classes. I feel like before reading about Henrietta and her cells, many of us did not even think about the ethical issues that the medical community faces today. I think that now we are much more educated on the issues and can look at both sides of the issues to decide for ourselves what we believe to be ethical. I also really enjoyed the fact that every freshman has read the book, so we can discuss it with other students outside of our own classroom.
I think the most important message of the book is to basically teach us about the important ethical issues and raise awareness so that we can stand up for what we believe is right. Most medical laws are very general because they can not be specific to every situation. That is why it is our job to stand up for what we believe is right and hopefully make a difference for the better. For those of us that will be future doctors, this may mean refusing to do something even though there is no law against it, because you do not believe it is ethical to do so. I think Rebecca wanted more people to care about the issues so people like Henrietta and her family never have to go through something like that ever again.

The issues that Rebecca Skloot raises in the book relate to the Xavier mission statement becuase Xavier wants to promote a more just and humane society. The issues in the book address that by Skloot telling her readers about the unjust ways the medical community has treated Henrietta and her family, and also in what ways they have tried to make their past mistakes right. This reminds us that even though there are laws to protect us as best as possible, the laws are not perfect and we must continue to strive for a more just and humane world.

Overall Assessment

The purpose of the book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”, was written to inform the public about distress Henrietta and her family went through from the research of her cells. Henrietta’s cells were distributed around the world without the knowledge of her family. It is even questionable whether Henrietta knew about the situation. The book also gave its readers background of Henrietta’s life and explained how she was human and not a test rat. Her life was lived just as any other person lives their life. She had a family, children, job, and a purpose on this earth.

Honestly I believe the book was a good choice for this year’s freshman seminar class. I believe this because the book contains science that is a great ice breaker before we actually start getting into science. It shows how science can affect those close to and the world all at once, like the Henrietta’s story. The book also shows us that accreditation is important in research and it should always be given. This book has many focuses and important messages that are explained throughout the book.

The issues made by Skloot, relates to the Xavier mission because she believes that Henrietta’s lack of accreditation could had been prevented. Her situation should have been looked at in the view of all races and it may have caused a better outcome then what her family receives now. Xavier mission explain that their purpose it to create a more just and humane society and also a diverse learning environment that makes sure this does not happen to any of their students. Another issue made was research; Xavier encourages research and teaches their students the correct way research is to be achieved. The mission protects its students on campus, the way Henrietta’s family fights for her rights!

Goodbyes are Always Hard

Is this really the end? Can this really be the last blog about the novel for this semester? It is a bittersweet moment for me because I feel like I have gone through a journey with this novel. Starting from the first day at Lagniappe to this very moment, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has impacted my life in a sense that it has opened my eyes to the racial cruelties of the world and highlighted the present exploitation of minorities in hospitals. It seems like ages ago when I first read this novel, but now more than ever I understand how this wonderful piece of literature is helping to re-shape the world of medical ethics.

I believe the story of Henrietta Lacks is important for a multitude of reasons, but perhaps, the most striking reason to me is simply the fact that modern medical research and medical practices now rely heavily on biological sampling such as Henrietta cells to further explore possible cures of diseases and cancers. In my opinion, this novel was a superb choice for this year’s freshman seminar class because this story raised a lot of ethical questions regarding cell harvesting and medical research. Through Skloot’s interpretation of Henrietta’s life and legacy, it allowed people to understand the fact that there are actual faces behind every biological sample used for testing. Skloot humanized HeLa and provided the platform the Lacks family needed to seek fulfillment in Henrietta’s death. I think this novel teaches us that we as not only Xavierites, but also as humans, need to go out and try to create a better world by dedicating our lives to the bettering of mankind. It is our duty to seek out injustices and exploitations in the world and try to resolve the problem. So, as stated in our mission, we need to learn how to be effective leaders among our peers in order to truly find happiness in the world.

A reflection of the book.

In my opinion, ‘The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks’, was extremely factual, and at times heart breaking. Henrietta, also known as HeLa, was none other, than a poor tobacco farmer, who struggled to survive and take care of her children in such destitute situations. With terrible coverage in health care and not much money for treatment, Henrietta suffered and died in a lot of pain. It wasn’t until twenty years later that the family (and much of the public) found out about the use and distribution of the ‘HeLa’ cells. The remarkable cells had done a great justice for society, they were vital for developing the polio vaccine and leading to advances in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping. I feel that within the book, the author o(Rebecca Skloot) did a great deal in finding out the personal affairs and personalities of characters of  the lacks family, and not only letting us know who they were, and what they’ve been through, but who really was behind the cells origin in the first place. Skloot’s publication of the book, gave the lacks family a voice; despite the fact that they never got any credit for how their mother contributed to society and cancer research. In many ways, I feel that Henrietta was rapped, without consent when the doctors at Hopkins took her cells; it was bad enough that she was “colored” in a time of segregation and mistreatment, but she couldn’t even get the credit that was so rightfully earned. Overall, I feel that the Lacks family was treated unjustly, despite the fact that years later they had some involvement in what happens and how their Great Grandmothers remains are used and distributed. To even fathom the thought of reimbursement will be another mountain they will have to climb.

HeLa’s Immortal Life Assessment.

The book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was truly a joy to read both over the summer and refreshing throughout this semester. I feel that that the book was both enlightening and inspirational in its very own way. The Immortal Life was most certainly not your ordinary novel. It was packed with information about a real family dealing with a real violation of Human Rights. This book was in my opinion a perfect choice for the FRSM 1000 text. The message in this book was universal and the content of the story can be universally relate-able to students of majors. For example, History majors because of the fact that the issues raised in the book were violations of Human Rights. It interest the minds of Biology and Chemistry majors because of the science and research within the book. There are several important messages that can be taken from the HeLa story. When reading a novel such as this that touches on several subject matters and raises viable arguments people tend to choose sides of the argument to defend. In my opinion the most important message in the HeLa story is that some people in the world aren’t like most and are there to genuinely help you in your situation. When I say this i’m referring to Rebecca Skloot the Deborah and the Lacks family. Because of her interest in the HeLa cells and the Lacks families many let downs with scientist and reporters like herself they were hesitant to trust anything she said or did. However, after working with her and listening to her story Deborah along with Lacks family grew to love her. She was that ram in the bush that stood beside them in their journey to find answers and unveil the truth behind many of the major advances in medical research. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks goes hand and hand with Xavier’s mission statement. One of the main point about the HeLa story is the struggle to promote a more just and humane society. Skloot tries to do this by assuming a leadership position and spearheading the action to unveil the truth and the name behind the research of HeLa cells. By doing this she raised a valuable argument throughout the world not only in science but in the homes of billions of Americans as well.