I love that my book club mixes things up with some non-fiction titles every few months. I don't chose them on my own, so I like having to try new things for the club. Sometimes, I am very surprised with what I like reading. Henrietta Lacks was a woman who died of cervical cancer in the 1950's, but her cancer cells are still alive and growing today in labs around the world. It's amazing. This book is her story, her kids, the doctors, basically everything about cell culture. The beginning is super engrossing of the can't put it down variety. Then it turns into a dull research paper/medical journal of the skipping whole sections out of boredom variety. The end is pretty sentimental and spiritual. Then, there is an afterward to let the reader know this isn't just Lacks' story, but all of ours. ALL our tissues are being collected and used for science. The countless blood viles for my Factor 5 blood disorder, the 5 moles I had removed last year, the placenta from my uterus and Milo's foreskin from his circumcision! I guess I thought it got incinerated. Why would I think that? I never asked. So, tissues kept and used for research and experiments as needed. Do you care? A lot of people do. I have been considering if I care. I don't think I do, but then I consider the Lacks family. Millions have been made and lost using Henrietta's cell, but not a penny to the family. They don't have health care, but the cells are used to find cancer drugs. No one can argue that is unfair. I have the luxury of health care benefits that enable me to be generous with my thinking. I am pretty liberal with my views so I don't care if my placenta was used in abortion research or Milo's cord blood was collected for stem cells to fight Parkinson's. What do you think?
This book is in my top ten favorite books- don't ask me all ten, but when people ask me what books I love, I never forget this title. So, when I saw the movie trailer last fall, it made me want to re-read it. Re-reading it made me never want to see the movie because HOW could they do it justice? However, I did see the movie with another book club buddy who also loves this book. We went in with the LOWEST possible expectations. It wasn't terrible. It was ok. I cried through the whole damn thing, because you would have to be a robot not to. Mostly, I think the movie does a good job of portraying the characters and TRYING to capture some of the amazing graphic images in the novel. But please don't just watch this film; read the book. It's one of my favorites.
This book was super hot this winter. It is a steamy, sexy read at times. It is also a thoughtful look at mental illness and commitments we make and break. It's really smart, and assumes you're smart too. All the book clubs are into it, but I had one of the best discussions with my husband who really loves post modernist writing and can pick out elements that seems subtle and minor to me but make them seem like the WHOLE point. I like that this book gives you a lot to think and talk about on many levels.
Inspired by another movie coming out this year, I gave Fitzgerald's book another read. I say another, could be the 6, 7, 8th read since 10th grade. I love this book. Good thing, since it's on the syllabus for like every American lit class everywhere, and I've taken more than a few of those. Again, It didn't disappoint. Fitzgerald is basically a genius in the tragic- love-triangle category, and the economics are timeless. The 3d, musical, DiCaprio/Mulligan combo should be impressive (even though I hate 3d and won't watch it that way). If you haven't read it since 10th grade, I highly suggest.
I love that my book club mixes things up with some non-fiction titles every few months. I don't chose them on my own, so I like having to try new things for the club. Sometimes, I am very surprised with what I like reading. Henrietta Lacks was a woman who died of cervical cancer in the 1950's, but her cancer cells are still alive and growing today in labs around the world. It's amazing. This book is her story, her kids, the doctors, basically everything about cell culture. The beginning is super engrossing of the can't put it down variety. Then it turns into a dull research paper/medical journal of the skipping whole sections out of boredom variety. The end is pretty sentimental and spiritual. Then, there is an afterward to let the reader know this isn't just Lacks' story, but all of ours. ALL our tissues are being collected and used for science. The countless blood viles for my Factor 5 blood disorder, the 5 moles I had removed last year, the placenta from my uterus and Milo's foreskin from his circumcision! I guess I thought it got incinerated. Why would I think that? I never asked. So, tissues kept and used for research and experiments as needed. Do you care? A lot of people do. I have been considering if I care. I don't think I do, but then I consider the Lacks family. Millions have been made and lost using Henrietta's cell, but not a penny to the family. They don't have health care, but the cells are used to find cancer drugs. No one can argue that is unfair. I have the luxury of health care benefits that enable me to be generous with my thinking. I am pretty liberal with my views so I don't care if my placenta was used in abortion research or Milo's cord blood was collected for stem cells to fight Parkinson's. What do you think?
This book is in my top ten favorite books- don't ask me all ten, but when people ask me what books I love, I never forget this title. So, when I saw the movie trailer last fall, it made me want to re-read it. Re-reading it made me never want to see the movie because HOW could they do it justice? However, I did see the movie with another book club buddy who also loves this book. We went in with the LOWEST possible expectations. It wasn't terrible. It was ok. I cried through the whole damn thing, because you would have to be a robot not to. Mostly, I think the movie does a good job of portraying the characters and TRYING to capture some of the amazing graphic images in the novel. But please don't just watch this film; read the book. It's one of my favorites.
This book was super hot this winter. It is a steamy, sexy read at times. It is also a thoughtful look at mental illness and commitments we make and break. It's really smart, and assumes you're smart too. All the book clubs are into it, but I had one of the best discussions with my husband who really loves post modernist writing and can pick out elements that seems subtle and minor to me but make them seem like the WHOLE point. I like that this book gives you a lot to think and talk about on many levels.
Inspired by another movie coming out this year, I gave Fitzgerald's book another read. I say another, could be the 6, 7, 8th read since 10th grade. I love this book. Good thing, since it's on the syllabus for like every American lit class everywhere, and I've taken more than a few of those. Again, It didn't disappoint. Fitzgerald is basically a genius in the tragic- love-triangle category, and the economics are timeless. The 3d, musical, DiCaprio/Mulligan combo should be impressive (even though I hate 3d and won't watch it that way). If you haven't read it since 10th grade, I highly suggest.
