Stacked: A booklog

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

"But I always have thought it was strange, if our mother cells done so much for medicine, how come her family can't afford to see no doctors?  Don't make much sense.  People got rich off my mother without us even knowin about them takin her cells, now we don't get a dime.  I used to get so mad about that to where it made me sick and I had to take pills.  But I don't got it in me no more to fight.  I just want to know who my mother was."

Deborah Lacks, The Immortal Lifre of Henrietta Lacks

Title:  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Author: Rebecca Skloot

Publisher/Publisher Date: Broadway Paperbacks/2011

Library/Bookstore: Borders

Date Borrowed/Bought/Read: June 2011

Rating: *****

What It's About:  At the age of 31, Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951.  Without her knowledge, doctors removed her cancer cells hoping that they would continue to grow outside the human body.  Better known to scientists as HeLa, Henrietta's "immortal" cells have played an important role in developing polio vaccines, cloning, gene mapping, and more.  Her cells have traveled all around the world, been to space, and used to test the effects of nuclear radiation. 

Why I Chose to Read It:  My mom told me about this book after hearing about Henrietta's story on the news.  I was intrigued.   

Notes About the Book:

1. I learned a lot from this book about the history of medical ethics & it was terrifying!  Did you know they used to inject patients with cancer cells (sometimes without even telling them) all in the name of research?  And the part about what may have happened to Henrietta's daughter at The Hospital for the Negro Insane made me sick to my stomach.  
2. It was depressing to read about the heartache and stress Henrietta's children went through after learning about what doctors did to their mother.  They didn't deserve to be treated the way they did and it's appalling to me that they don't have access to quality healthcare.  Hopefully, things are better for them now that this book has come out.
3. The part where Deborah & her brother went to go see their mother's cells for the first time choked me up.
4. Rebecca Skloot is awesome and has the patience of a saint.  I don't know how she put up with all that she did in researching for this book.

Do I Recommend It?  YES!  I could not put this book down.  It was fascinating to read and each chapter was more shocking than the next.  If you like the scientific writing & the humorous style of Mary Roach, I'm sure you'll love this book, too.

Links:

Rebecca Skloot Official Site

The Henrietta Lacks Foundation

Henrietta Everlasting: Wired Magazine's Timeline of the HeLa Cells

 

Packing for Mars

Upon the occasion of history's first manned flights--in the 1780's, aboard the Montgolfier brothers' hot-air balloons--someone asked Franklin what use he saw in such frivolity.  "What use," he replied, "is a newborn baby?"

Mary Roach quoting Benjamin Franklin, Packing for Mars

Title: Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void

Author: Mary Roach

Publisher/Publisher Date: W.W. Norton & Company/2010

Library/Bookstore: Amazon Kindle Store (My first e-book!)

Date Borrowed/Bought/Read: May 2011

Rating: ***1/2

What It's About:  Mary Roach answers all of the questions your dying to know about what really goes down during space flight.  How do astronauts go to the bathroom?  Do astronauts get freaky in space?  Is it okay to smuggle a sandwich during a launch.  Is there such a thing as space madness?  Inquiring minds want to know! 

Why I Chose to Read It:  I've read Mary Roach's previous books and loved them!  Also, I've  always been curious about space travel and thought this would make for an interesting, humorous read.

Notes About the Book:

1. I'm a knee-bobber, so that automatically makes me an undesirable candidate for space flight.
2. I have even more respect for astronauts after reading this book.  What they put themselves through all in the name of science is astounding considering the risks they face.  I'm talking brain stem separation, people.
3. I learned more about space defecation than I ever wanted to know.  Floaters...(shudders).
4. I so want to float around weightless in zero G.

Do I Recommend It?  Yes.  Mary Roach, rocks!  If you love space, you'll love this book, too.

Links:

Mary Roach (Official Site)

NASA (Latest Space Shuttle News)

 

Aftermath, Inc.

"Now that's how you scrub a f*$%in' blood stain!"

Al Swearengen in Deadwood 

Title: Aftermath, Inc.: Cleaning Up After CSI Goes Home

Author: Gil Reavill

Publisher/Publisher Date: Gotham Books, 2007

Library/Bookstore: Borders

Date Borrowed/Bought/Read: August 2008

Rating: ***

What It's About: True-crime writer, Gil Reavill, wants to know what it would be like to experience a fresh crime scene.  He decides to job shadow a couple of techs from Aftermath, Inc., a company that cleans up after suicides, violent murder, and unfortunate accidents.  Anything at the crime scene that has been touched by bodily fluids, blood splatter, and/or other human biomatter has to be treated, removed or replaced completely (getting your head shot off creates a lot of biomatter).  It ain't an easy job, but dammit, somebody has to do it. 

Why I Chose to Read It: A couple of years ago, I wrote a post on my blog about the people who cleaned up the dead.  It's a job that most people don't know much about. 

Notes About the Book:

1. This book is not for people with weak stomachs.  By page 7, I was turning a little green.  Some people have sick, sick minds.
2. You can make a lot of money being a crime-scene cleaner!
3. Gil talks about himself too much. 
4. At one of the clean up sites, they actually find an eye under a folded-ever flap of skin.  An EYE!!! 
5. The techs refer to puking on the job as "pulling a Bushie."  HA!
6. Aftermath, Inc. was called in to clean up the mess that was made when a mechanic was sucked into the engine of a Boeing 737.  The airline company didn't want to throw away a $10 million engine.
7. It was sad reading about the tragic death of film collector Alois Felix Dettlaff.  He was the owner of the original Thomas Edison's 1910 Frankenstein film (the first horror movie ever made) that was once thought to be lost by the Library of Congress.  Dettlaff died alone in his home and his body wasn't discovered until almost a month later.  His family doesn't know what happened to the film cannister containing the original print of Frankenstein.  You can watch it here. 
8. The picture shown above is from the upcoming movie Sunshine Cleaning starring Amy Adams and Emily Blunt.  It's about a mom who starts her own crime scene clean up company with her unreliable sister.  According to the book, they're doing it wrong.

Do I Recommend It?  Yes.  It's a fascinating read if you think your stomach is up for it!

Links: