Henrietta lacks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks By: Rebecca Skloot
Discussion Questions:
1. When Ms. Skloot was writing and trying to re-create events that happened in Henrietta’s life she explain that she had to “conduct more than a thousand hours of interviews with family and friends of Henrietta Lacks.” She also used scientific information she was able to come across along with any photos she was permitted to have. Since Henrietta had past before Ms.Skloot wrote this book she said to have “relied on interviews, legal documents, her medical records to re-create scenes from her life” As well as obtaining information from Henrietta’s daughter Deborah Lacks.
2. Maintaining the speech authenticity when people spoke, let you interpret and understand exactly what that person was getting at or explaining. For Example when Crazy Joe tried to kill himself the first time over Henrietta his sister Sadie replied “ Man you so much in love with a girl, you gonna die for her? That ain’t right.” If Ms. Skloot had changed the wording it could have given off a feel of the sister thinking its funny rather then her seeming to be disappointed in her brother for being so careless.
3. I would probably react just as Deborah did, with horror and sadness that a sibling was so callously discarded. However, the information revealed to Deborah changed her sense of herself in profound ways. Learning about her mother and sister intensified her feelings of loss for both of them, but gave her sense of connection to both.
4. Henrietta Lacks story possibly would have been different if Ms. Skloot wasn’t apart of the story because she gave insight into what peoples face expression and demeanors were in hopes to give a better understanding of the story. For instance her being at certain events like the faith healing on page 289 she gave her perception of how Gary was looking and how worried he seemed to be about his cousin Deborah. I feel as if with out her being in that scene to identify how
Discussion Questions:
1. When Ms. Skloot was writing and trying to re-create events that happened in Henrietta’s life she explain that she had to “conduct more than a thousand hours of interviews with family and friends of Henrietta Lacks.” She also used scientific information she was able to come across along with any photos she was permitted to have. Since Henrietta had past before Ms.Skloot wrote this book she said to have “relied on interviews, legal documents, her medical records to re-create scenes from her life” As well as obtaining information from Henrietta’s daughter Deborah Lacks.
2. Maintaining the speech authenticity when people spoke, let you interpret and understand exactly what that person was getting at or explaining. For Example when Crazy Joe tried to kill himself the first time over Henrietta his sister Sadie replied “ Man you so much in love with a girl, you gonna die for her? That ain’t right.” If Ms. Skloot had changed the wording it could have given off a feel of the sister thinking its funny rather then her seeming to be disappointed in her brother for being so careless.
3. I would probably react just as Deborah did, with horror and sadness that a sibling was so callously discarded. However, the information revealed to Deborah changed her sense of herself in profound ways. Learning about her mother and sister intensified her feelings of loss for both of them, but gave her sense of connection to both.
4. Henrietta Lacks story possibly would have been different if Ms. Skloot wasn’t apart of the story because she gave insight into what peoples face expression and demeanors were in hopes to give a better understanding of the story. For instance her being at certain events like the faith healing on page 289 she gave her perception of how Gary was looking and how worried he seemed to be about his cousin Deborah. I feel as if with out her being in that scene to identify how