First Year Book 2011

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is the story behind the HeLa cell line, an immortal line of cells that is responsible for some of the most important innovations in modern science, from the vaccine for polio to discoveries in cancer and AIDS.  The HeLa cells were taken from an African American mother of five in Baltimore without her consent. She later died from a very aggressive cancer.  Despite the importance of Ms. Lacks’ cells, her family continued to live in poverty and ill health, knowing nothing of her great contributions. Rebecca Skloot spent ten years and great personal expense investigating this story and her book raises questions about ownership of one’s cells and the ethics of medicine in the context of race, class, and education.

First Year Book Lecture--Wednesday, October 26, 2011-- The First Year Book program will host Mr. David “Sonny” Lacks, Henrietta Lacks’ son, on October 26 at 4:00 pm in the Hoff Theatre. The program is hosted by Professor Lee Thornton from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, along with Professor Stephen Thomas from the Center for Health Equity at the University of Maryland. Sponsored by the First Year Book program and William L. Thomas Omicron Delta Kappa Lecture.

The Campus Guide for the First Year Book-- From the UMD Libraries. Includes online articles from the book, the geography of Henrietta Lacks, researching Henrietta Lacks, and resources at UMD.

Visualizing "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks"

A visual analysis of chapter one of Rebecca Skloot's "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" shows the role of Henrietta's cells in the story. The largest words in the graphic are repeated more frequently. View an interactive version. Read an excerpt from the book.