First-year Common Reading
Bucknell University selected The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot as the first-year common reading for the Class of 2016. New students discussed the book with each other, faculty members and staff at New Student Orientation. They also had had the opportunity to enter an essay contest based on the reading.
About the author
Rebecca Skloot, author of the best-seller The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, will speak at Bucknell University Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Trout Auditorium of the Vaughan Literature Building. She also will answer questions from the audience and hold a book signing after the event. [Skloot's talk will be simulcast in the Forum of the Elaine Langone Center.]
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the story of a young black woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951 and left behind an inexplicably immortal line of cells known as HeLa. Her cells, which were harvested without her knowledge or consent, have contributed to scientific advancements as varied as the polio vaccine, treatments for cancers and viruses, in-vitro fertilization, and the impact of space travel on human cells.
Read the full press release about Rebecca's Skloot's scheduled appearance on campus.
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a fascinating read and a ringing success. It is a well-written, carefully researched, complex saga of medical research, bioethics, and race in America. Above all it is a human story of redemption for a family torn by loss, and for a writer with a vision that would not let go."
