Culture Dish

Immortal Cells; Moral Issues

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:49:26 -0500

Today's Baltimore Sun features a great OpEd by Ruth Faden, director of the bioethics institute at Johns Hopkins, exploring the ethical and moral issues raised by The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and its relevance to the current debate over health care reform. In it she says, among other things:

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Skloot on ABC World News Tonight! Plus Lots of Review Love

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 08:50:18 -0500

A quick post as I run out the door for the teeveey studio: Set your TiVos and your DVRs, mark your calendars: Tonight I'll be on ABC World News talking about my new book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The segment will also feature members of Henrietta's family, and Vincent Racaniello with lots, and lots of HeLa cells.

ALSO: The first reviews of The Immortal Life are starting to hit newspapers. There's a terrific review on the front page of the Washington Post Outlook section today, and another great one in the St. Petersburg Times. Update: This great review just in from the Boston Globe too!

As the kids say: wOOt! Stay tuned, later today, I'll be posting details of the many HeLa related events happening this week in New York: At Columbia, McNally Jackson Bookstore, and more.
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Countdown to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks & Press Roundup

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:09:34 -0500

After ten long years, the serious countdown has begun for the publication of my book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which will be on sale nationwide exactly SEVEN DAYS from today. I've been posting about my impending book tour, and all the great coverage the book has been getting, on Twitter and Facebook, but thought I'd also post a bit of a press round up here, and an update, for those who (gasp) don't spend all of their time in those places.

If you don't know what my book is about: it tells the story of a poor black tobacco farmer whose cancer cells -- taken without her knowledge -- became one of the most important tools in medicine, with disastrous consequences for her family. Please take a moment to read the full description of the book here.

So far, it's gotten incredible pre-publication press, for which I am very thankful: There is a big excerpt of the book in the February issue of O, the Oprah Magazine, as well as a small one in Publishers Weekly. The current issue of Wired has this great visual map showing the myriad ways HeLa cells have contributed to science, and the current issue of Popular Science features The Immortal Life as its book of the month, and The Five Reasons Henrietta Lacks is The Most Important Woman in Medical History. The LA Times named mine as A Face to Watch in 2010, and the Chicago Tribune said, among other things that, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, to be published next month by Crown, beautifully epitomizes what's so wonderful about today's science writing for a lay audience." The Immortal Life has been chosen as a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers pick for spring of 2010, and it's gotten starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal and Kirkus. It's also gotten some really wonderful blog reviews, for which I'm very grateful.

And there's more to come soon: I'll be featured on Fresh Air with Terry Gross on February 2nd (check for local air times here), then Weekend All Things Considered on 2/6 (check for local air times here), and the Bob Edwards show soon after that. The Immortal Life will also be featured in Essence, Discover, Nature, Better Homes & Gardens, Vogue, Mother Jones, Smithsonian.com, AARP, Huffington Post, New York Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World, and more. To read all of the coverage to date, visit the "press" page of my website.

For those who missed the news of my book tour saga ... have a look at this article, The Immortal Book Tour, about my decision to organize a grassroots book tour for myself, which starts MONDAY with this public launch event, which I'm very excited about. I will be on the road speaking at universities, libraries, museums and bookstores nationwide from next Monday until June 1st (how does a person pack for such a trip? I have no idea!). Please have a look at my full tour schedule to see if I'm coming to your town, which I probably am, and mark your calendars accordingly (events being added regularly, so please check back).

For those who want to follow what's going on with the book and the tour: I will be posting stories from the road here. To keep up with news related to the book, subscribe to the news updates on my website. Facebook is a great way to follow what's going on with me, so you can friend me there, and/or you can follow news about the book by becoming a "fan" of Henrietta Lacks.

I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that the book is now available for pre-order. Quite a few wonderful bloggers have written posts (like this one) about why it's important to pre-order my book if you're planning to buy a copy (and I didn't even ask them to do this! As I said, I've been very lucky, and I'm very thankful.) So go to your favorite indy store or visit your favorite online store, order your copies, and please spread the word about my book, and my tour.

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Join Culture Dish for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Book Launch Event

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:10:17 -0500

Are you in New York? Anywhere near New York? If so ... mark your calendars and come join us for the PUBLIC BOOK LAUNCH EVENT we've all been waiting for (well, at least we here at Culture Dish have been waiting for it ... plus a few other folks): In an evening emceed by Jad Abumrad of RADIOLAB, I'll be talking about my new book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks ... and rumor has it, some of Henrietta's family members will be there with me to answer your questions and SIGN YOUR BOOKS! Also, we will have live HeLa cells for people to see. So much excitement, we can hardly stand it. And so SOON! February 1st (one day before the book's actual on sale date, which means if you come, you can get your copy one day before anyone else, then you can taunt other people about the fact that you got yours first) at 7pm at the fabulous McNally Jackson Booksellers. Spread the word! Full fliers and event details below the jump. And if you're not in New York, don't worry: The Immortal Book Tour is most likely coming to a town near you. See full tour schedule here, and mark calendars accordingly.

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Quick: Get Free Copies of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (aka HeLa) - Limited Offer

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:46:06 -0500

Okay, so the blog has been a weeeeeee bit quiet during the insanity of getting the book to press, and the book tour organized, and The Henrietta Lacks Foundation started (more on that soon!), but that is all about to change. After an invigorating few days at the fabulous ScienceOnline2010 conference (which others have so eloquently recapped here and here and here and here and many other places), I'm excited to liven things up here again.

And what better way to liven things up than GIVING AWAY FREE STUFF! Yes, that's right, there's a limited time, there-until-they're-gone free giveaway of copies of my book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks going on starting right ..... now. So go here and request your copy before they're gone!

Much other stuff to catch up on, which is coming soon. But for now, go get your free book! And let me know if you win one (don't worry and stay tuned - there will be other giveaways on select blogs soon ...).
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Skloot on the Cover of Publishers Weekly & Advance Praise for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:06:59 -0500

Big week here at Culture Dish! The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and its author (yours truly) were on the cover of Publishers Weekly (please note: THRILLED!). Inside that issue was a profile of me with some of book's backstory, a short excerpt from the book (longer excerpt coming soon in O, the Oprah Magazine), also a story I wrote about the crazy book tour I'm organizing (posted about previously here). But that was just the beginning of this week's HeLa developments.

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Get a Free Copy of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (aka HeLa) to Consider for Course Adoption, While Supplies Last

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:15:16 -0500

Calling all academics: If you'd like a free advanced copy of my book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, to consider it for course adoption, get thee to Random House's academic blog and request a copy quick, while supplies last (which probably won't be long at the rate things are going). See below for more information on the book, and advanced praise. It's a story with wide potential for course adoption in the sciences, bioethics, African-American studies, womens studies, creative writing, journalism, and much more. Added bonus: If you teach the book this spring, you can also get me to come speak at your school/in your classes as part of my book tour.
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Court Upholds Rights of Scientists and Patients to Challenge Gene Patents

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:23:11 -0500

Some interesting news about the breast cancer patent lawsuit I wrote about for Slate's Double X Magazine a few months ago: A federal district court has just agreed to hear the case. When the lawsuit was first filed, many legal experts I talked to said they were sure the case would get thrown out of court for it's unusual approach, namely that it claims that the practice of patenting genes is unconstitutional See my story about the case here. Filings and other documents related to the case available here. And see below for the full press release about today's news:

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U of Akron Requires DNA from Potential Employees; Feds Open Public Comment Period on Federal Law Protecting DNA

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:10:35 -0500

Inside Higher Ed just reported that an adjunct instructor at the University of Akron quit when he was told that he had to submit to DNA testing. "It's not enough that the university doesn't pay us a living wage, or provide us with health insurance," the instructor said, "but now they want to sacrifice the sanctity of our bodies. No." He was right to question their policy: The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 specifically states:

It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any employee, or otherwise to discriminate against any employee with respect to the compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment of the employee, because of genetic information with respect to the employee

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Book Tour - Bring HeLa to Your Town

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:59:46 -0500

Lots of excitement and news about my book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (aka HeLa), which hits stores February 2nd (after ten years in the works). It just got a starred review in Publishers Weekly and in Booklist, and was chosen as a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers title for Spring 2010. Culture Dish is very excited about all of this. But the big news for this post is that I'm organizing a three-month-long book tour that will have me speaking nationwide at universities, scientific organizations, bookstores, book groups, high schools, and more. If you'd like me to speak about the book, about HeLa, the history and ethics of tissue culture, race and medicine, or any number of other related topics, see the Immortal Life's interactive book tour map below. Click on your region to see when I'm scheduled to be in your area, and email me to bring The Immortal Life to your town.

The Immortal Book Tour is a grass-roots, author-funded tour on a scale that no sane publishing house would or could organize or fund. (For those not familiar with the publishing industry, see here for the New Yorker's humorous take on why this sort of thing is necessary). Crazy as it may be, I'm convinced it will be a fun and effective way to spread the word about this book -- and honestly, after ten years of working on it solo, I'm ready to go talk about it with everyone I can. I admit, I've imagined touring in one of these with cells painted all over it, but at this point, due to budget constraints, I may be touring in one of these. This tour will depend entirely on and funding from talks at universities and other venues, so locations able to help cover expenses get priority (and many, many thanks), but I'm also looking to hear from bookstores and other organizations in towns I'll be visiting, where I'll gladly speak if I'm able to get myself there. Interactive book tour map and link for below the jump (and if you're interested in having me speak at a date after the tour, that works too: my schedule for summer and fall is wide open at this point):

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How to Prevent Obesity in Your Pet

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:56:18 -0500

Because of the flood of responses I got to yesterday's post on The Insanity of the FDA Approved Obesity Drug for Dogs, I thought I'd start a series of follow up posts answering the many questions I got by email and in the comments here. The most common question was, Okay, so the drug is a bad idea, but what else can we do to make sure our pets don't get or stay fat? Below is a column I once wrote for Prevention Magazine, followed by tips, which should answer the most common questions:

When I was a teenager, I came home from school one day to find L.C., my family's beagle, lying on the bottom shelf of our refrigerator. She was nearly comatose and shaped like a loaf of bread. We knew L.C. had food issues: She yowled in agony when people ate. She once swiped a Thanksgiving turkey, dragged it out the dog door, and devoured it. She studied us every time we opened the refrigerator. So in retrospect, it's no surprise she ended up inside it.

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The Insanity of the FDA Approved Obesity Drug for Dogs

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:32:13 -0500

The other day I took my dogs to the vet for a checkup and saw a woman with her morbidly obese dog waiting to fill her prescription for Slentrol -- the first obesity drug for dogs -- which made me feel the need to resurrect this post below, which I wrote the day the FDA announced they'd approved the drug for use in dogs:

The FDA just announced that they've just approved the first-ever obesity drug for dogs, which really makes me cringe. Why? Because dogs don't have eating disorders -- their owners have feeding disorders.

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Time to Register for ScienceOnline2010!

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:20:35 -0500

Yes folks, it's that time again: Registration is now open for the great ScienceOnline2010 meeting that will take place (as always) in Durham, NC in January. The program features many great scientists, science bloggers, and science journalists, and promises to be lots of fun. I'll be running a session with Tom Levenson and Brian Switek called "From Blog to Book: Using Blogs and Social Networks to Develop Your Professional Writing," and I'll also be doing a hands-on, nuts-and-bolts workshop helping folks develop proposals for books and articles. See the program for details, and sign up!

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Agoraphobia Service Monkey Lawsuit Rejected; Seizure Alert Ferret Kicked Out of Mall

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:34:32 -0500

Today was a big day for non-canine service animal news, which I keep tabs on here as part of ongoing follow up to my New York Times Magazine article, Creature Comforts, about the use of non-canine service animals (which include ducks, monkeys, horses, goats, and at least one kangaroo). The biggest news is that a court in Missouri has rejected the discrimination case filed by Debby Rose, who I featured in my story. She was forbidden to bring her Macaque monkey Richard into local businesses, despite the fact that she says he's a service monkey trained to help with her agoraphobia (Richard pictured above driving with Debby).

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Today: Nobel Prize Awarded for Telomerase Discovery, and the 58th Anniversary of Henrietta Lacks's Death

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:58:16 -0500

It's fitting that today -- the day after the 58th anniversary of Henrietta Lacks's death -- the Nobel Prize in medicine has been awarded to Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostak for the discovery of how telomeres and the enzyme telomerase protect chromosomes from degrading over time. In the late eighties, a scientist at Yale used Henrietta's cells (aka HeLa, pictured left) to discover that human cancer cells contain telomerase, which regenerates their chromosomes and prevents them from aging and dying like normal cells. This is one of the reasons why Henrietta's cells are still alive and growing today, fifty-eight years after her death.
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