PVCC Reads The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

In today’s world of selfie-sticks and 24/7 access to social media, it is hard to imagine a person who has interacted with millions of lives yet only has a few pictures of her own. That it took between five and six decades for her to gain noticeable recognition for her enormous contributions to science and medicine is almost as shocking as her life story. We can thank author Rebecca Skloot for shedding light on Henrietta’s life and her miraculous cells in the 2010 book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Not to give away any spoilers, but Skloot brings up concepts of medical ethics, race, poverty, family, religion, profiteering, and raw human nature. Perhaps it was this powerful subject matter which led to the book being voted number one in the One Book Project. Last semester, students had the option of voting for their favorite One Book from a selection of titles. This is the second annual One Book Project, and it is hosted by PVCC’s Betty Sue Jessup library.

PVCC librarian Laura Skinner said, “I love it. I adore it. It’s fascinating and multi-layered.” Skinner said that the book received a landslide number of votes.

Last year’s One Book, Breaking Night, a memoir by Liz Murray, was also popular. Several events and contests centered on Breaking Night were hosted by the library to promote literature and writing.

This semester, the library plans to host a variety of events related to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Some of the planned events are as follows:

• One Book Launch on Club Day, Sept. 2. Free copies of the One Book will be passed out.

• Blood Drive on Sept. 29. The first 10 students to donate blood in Henrietta’s name will receive a free tote bag.

• Extract Your Own DNA on October 1. 10 students will have a chance to extract their own DNA and take it home with them in a vial, as well as receive a free tote bag.

• Essay Contest Announcement on October 12. Details of the essay contest will be emailed.

• Screening of the documentary The Way of the Flesh on October 27. This movie explores Henrietta’s cells and her story.

• Dr. Lundy Pentz will present a lecture on October 28 in the auditorium. Dr. Pentz is a retired biology professor from Mary Baldwin College and received his PhD from Johns Hopkins.

• Closing Event: One Book Trivia Game on November 18. Five teams of three students will participate in a Jeopardy-style game of trivia on the One Book.

As these events approach, more details will be emailed to the student body. The book is an exciting choice, voted on by students, and has the premise to become an incredible One Book Project.

For more information, visit: www.pvcc.edu/onebook