Whether you are very familiar with nonfict ion or only read it occasionally\, this book club will have something for you\, as we will cover a variety of topics\, from biographies to science t o self-help.
\nThis month's pick is The Immortal Life of Henriet ta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. A description of the book provided by the publisher reads\, "Her name was Henrietta Lacks\, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer\, yet her cells--taken wi thout her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine. T he first "immortal" human cells grown in culture\, they are still alive to day\, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine\; uncovered secrets of cancer and v iruses\; helped lead to in vitro fertilization\, cloning\, and gene mappin g\; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks is buried in an unmarked grave. Her family did not learn of her "immortality" until more than twenty years after her death\, when scientists began usin g her husband and children in research without informed consent. The story of the Lacks family is inextricably connected to the dark history of expe rimentation on African Americans\, the birth of bioethics\, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of."
\nFind The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks < /em>in the catalog!
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