The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot

The Lacks Family	Medical Profession
Henrietta David (Day) – husband Deborah (Dale) David (Sonny) Lawrence – oldest son Lucile Elsie – daughter, sent to Crownsville State Hospital Joe( Zakariyya) – youngest son   Gary Lacks – cousin – The Disciple   Ethel - moved in with husband, Galen, to take care of children.  Ethel abused all children, Galen abused Deborah   Spouses: Alfred (Cheetah) Carter – Deborah’s 1st husband      Alfred Jr. - son James Pullman - Deborah's 2nd husband - preacher     Davon - son Bobbette - Lawrence's wife – took in Lacks children	Johns Hopkins Dr. Howard Jones – Henrietta’s gynecologist Dr. Richard Wesley TeLinde – one of top cervical cancer experts Dr. George Gey – head of Tissue Research Margaret Gey – surgical nurse, ran lab Mary Kubicek -  Gey’s assistant (saw Henrietta’s nail polish and recognized her as a real person)   Christoph Lengauer – cancer researcher – connected with Lacks family     Morehouse School of Medicine Roland Pattilo – professor of gynecology – organized yearly symposium in Henrietta’s honor
Others: Carlton and Ruby Lacks – oldest white Lacks in Clover Courtney Speed – beauty shop owner in Turner Station Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield – tried to exploit family

 For Discussion:

1.       Discuss the children after Henrietta's death:

a.       No one told them what had happened to their mother, she just did not return.  What impact did this have on them?

b.      Ethel and her husband, Galen,  moved in to help take care of the children.   Children abused by Ethel, possibly as retaliation for previous jealousies.  Galen sexually abused Deborah.  How could their father not know this and take action?

2.       All of the children had hearing loss. Why?  How did this affect their understanding and their lives?

3.       Discuss Rebecca and Deborah’s relationship and how it changed over the years.

4.       Deborah was always afraid that she would get cancer like her mother, and many of the people who contacted her unknowingly reinforced this fear.  She often thought they were testing her for cancer when taking blood samples.  Do you think they could or should have been more sensitive to Deborah and understood her better?

a.       Dr. Hsu, who spoke with a heavy Chinese accent, went to talk to Deborah, who spoke with a heavy southern accent.

5.       Discuss the family’s reaction to the knowledge that Henrietta’s cells were still alive and being used in medical research without their knowledge.

a.       Did the researchers have a responsibility to tell the family at some point?

6.       Discuss the fact that many people made large amounts of money selling HeLa cells, but not the family.  Do you think there should have been some sort of compensation for the family?   What is your opinion about using tissues for research without the family’s or person’s permission?

7.       Given the times that this story happened, do you think there would have been a difference if the Lacks were white or from a financially rich background?

8.       There were several events that Deborah in particular attributed to Henrietta after her death.  What do you think?

a.       Storm at burial

b.      HeLa cells taking over all other cells they came in contact with

c.       Michael Rogers, reporter from Rolling Stone, in auto accident on way to interview Lacks family

d.      Fire at Rogers’ home in California destroying all of his notes and documents

9.       Did you like the writing style?

a.       Time line at top of page

b.      Alternating between current time and 1950s

 

 

 

 

 

The Swan Thieves, by Elizabeth Kostova

Characters
Current time	Late 1800s
Robert Oliver – painter and teacher Kate – wife Ingrid and Oscar – children Mary Bertison – painter and student Marlow – Psychiatrist and painter Pedro Calliet Henri Robinson	Beatrice de Clerval Yves Father-in-law Aude – daughter Marie Riviere – Beatrice’s pseudonym Olivier Vignot – Yves uncle Helene – wife – killed in uprising in France Gilbert Thomas - painter Armand Thomas

For discussion:

NOTE:  The page numbers refer to the Bay Back Books paperback edition.

1.            Discuss the various characters, their personalities and their motivations.  Who was most sympathetic?  Least?

2.            Discuss having your own space.  When Robert was living with Kate he had an office and a studio while Kate did not have any space of her own.  How important is your space?

3.            Why did Robert’s paintings have such an effect on Marlow?

4.            Why did Robert continuously paint Beatrice?  Was that a sign of his mental illness?  What did you think about the painting where all three women (Kate, Mary and Beatrice) were painted in the background and Robert was in the foreground?

5.            Consider Robert’s painting of Beatrice holding an older woman who had been shot.  (page 423)  Do you think this was a depiction of Beatrice’s dream of Oliver’s wife?  How can you explain this?

6.            Discuss Robert and Mary’s correspondence through regular mail.  She stated that “…a plain old paper letter takes on amazing intimacy.”  Do you agree?  Do you think regular mail will survive?

7.            What were the signs of Robert’s mental illness?  Do you think he was truly “cured” at the end?

8.            Do you think Marlow acted responsibly when he went to talk with Kate and Mary?  What were the reasons behind his actions?

9.            Discuss Robert reading detective novels continuously while he was hospitalized.    Marlow’s father said that Robert was doing penance for something.  Do you agree?  (pages 314 and 322)

10.          Discuss the author’s definition of mental illness.  On page 302 she wrote, “It was not illness to let another person – or a belief, or a place – take over your heart.  But if you gave away your mind to one of those things, relinquished your ability to make decisions, it would, in the end, render you sick…”

11.          Who was Aude’s father?

12.          Discuss your reading experience.  When did you realize who Beatrice was?  Were you able to keep the characters straight?  Were you ever confused?  What was the most satisfying part of the reading experience for you?

Caleb's Crossing, by Geraldine Brooks

Characters
Great Harbor	Cambridge
Bethia John Mayfield – father – preacher Thomas Mayfield – grandfather – magistrate Mother Makepeace – older brother Zuriel – twin brother –deceased Solace – younger sister – deceased   Noah Merry   Iaccomis Joel – son   Caleb Tequamuck – pawaaw - uncle   Goody Branch - midwife	Master Corlett’s School Elijah Corlett Bethia Makepeace Caleb Joel Anne Samuel Corlett   Harvard President Chauncy Bethia – scullery maid in buttery   Women whose work and words were read by Bethia: Anne Bradstreet – poet Anne Hutchinson – testimony in General Court

 For discussion:

NOTE:  All pages refer to the paperback edition of the novel.

1. What are the positive and negative comparisons between Bethia’s life and that of a 21^st Century girl or woman?

2. On page 13, Bethia remarks, “As newcomers will do in a foreign place, we cling too long to the old habits and lifeways.”  Can you relate?  Have you ever resisted change when it made sense to accept the change?  What about when you traveled or lived in a different country for awhile?

3. What would Caleb and Joel’s life have been like without “American education?”  Better or worse?  Why?

4. On page 147, Caleb states, “I say it is braver, sometimes, to bend.”  Do you agree?  When did the characters in the book stay strong to their beliefs and when did they “bend?”

5. Discuss the visions the various characters had.  What do you think really happened?

• Bethia’s when she first drank the hellebore (page 67)
• Caleb’s description of his time in the wilderness (page 149)
• Bethia’s when she thought about Tequamuck at the same occasion (page 149)

6. Bethia believed that she was responsible for her mother and Solace’s death because of her idolatry.  Can you understand her reasoning?

7. Can you understand the grandfather’s reasons to indenture Bethia at the school in exchange for Makepeace’s education? What other choices did he have?

8. Were you surprised that Bethia and Samuel had sexual relations before they were even betrothed?

9. All of the Indian students who attended Harvard and stayed at the Indian College died.  Why do you think this happened?

10. Discuss Bethia’s sins.  Would they still be considered sins today?

• Obedience (she disobeyed and went off alone) – page 14
• Pride and anger (she showed off her learning) – page 18
• Heresy (acknowledged the existence of the Indian’s God as well as the English God) – page 41
• Drank hellebore and had visions – page 67
• Idolatry (put doll, beads and scripture in Solace’s coffin) – page 117
• Swearing (swore at Makepeace) – page 178

11. Discuss the characters.  Who was most sympathetic?  Who did you like the least?  Consider their various backgrounds and motivations and how that influenced their actions.

12. Did this novel give you greater understanding of the lives of the early settlers in America?  What did you learn or what insight did you get?

 

 Vocabulary

The author used authentic vocabulary.   Did you find this effective?   What do the following words mean?

1.            I wrapped up Solace and drew her to me on the shakedown. (page 3)

2.            But that night the task seemed so friggling to me that I had to concentrate on every stitch. I noticed mother glance at me from time to time as I sighed and fidgeted and tried to hide my cackhanded work.  (page 54)

3.            Oh, they know how to decoct so as to bring on the visions they seek to have, short of a killing dose.  (page 55)

4.            In the morning I rose weary, and gave a hand to Sofia with her chores until the men came in for bever.  (page 73)

5.            I returned to the house and found Solace who had wakened from her nap…..I lifted her from her crib, all warm and heavy limbed, and nuzzled my face into her soft neck, blowing gently till she laughed aloud.  I took up a posset I had made for her earlier, and carried her with me to the lean-to…. (page 97)

6.            But since Noah was clearly no square cap, conversation in his presence went on differently.  (page 104)

Answers:

1.            shakedown – a bed spread on floor
2.            friggling – not in www.dictionary.com
                cackhanded – clumsy, lacking skill with hands
3.            decoct – to boil down, concentrate, reduce
4.            bever – a light snack between meals
5.            posset – a drink of hot milk curdled with ale, beer, etc., flavored with spices; could be used as a remedy for colds
6.            square cap – educated person

 

 

Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles

Characters:

Theodore “Tinker” Grey
Henry “Hank” Grey
Anne Grandyn

Evelyn Ross

Katey Kontent
Val - husband

Wallace Wolcott

Dicky Vanderbilt

Quiggin and Hale:
Miss Markham
Charlotte Sykes

Pembroke Press: Nathaniel Parish

Mason Tate: Gotham

Alley McKenna

For discussion:

NOTE:  The page numbers refer to the hardback edition.

1.            How do you think the story would have changed if the accident had never happened?

2.            Discuss each of the main characters.   Could you connect with some more than others?  Why?

3.            Discuss Katey’s career path, particularly the fact that she quit Quiggin and Hale as soon as she was promoted.     Why did she quit?  How did that decision change her life?  

4.            Discuss the pronunciation of Katey’s last name – Kontent vs. Kontent.  Did you like the way the author played with the pronunciation throughout the book?  (see page 19)

5.            On page 37 the author wrote, “…be careful when choosing what you’re proud of – because the world has every intention of using it against you”   and used Charlotte Sykes’ typing skill as an example.  Do you agree?  Do you have any examples from your or other’s lives?

6.            Katey found great pleasure in reading.  On page 128 she stated that “…if after finishing a chapter of a Dickens novel I feel a miss-my-stop-on-the-train sort of compulsion to read on, then everything is probably going to be just fine.”  Can you relate?  When was the last time you had that feeling?

7.            On the same page, Katey reflected on the pleasure of simple things and how the loss of appreciating these pleasures is dangerous.  Do you agree?  What simple pleasures are important to you?

8.            On the same subject of reading, Katey discovered Agatha Christie and said that, “Her books are tremendously satisfying.  Yes, they are formulaic.  But that’s one of the reasons they are so satisfying.”   What books do you find satisfying in that way?  What books have you liked because they are not formulaic?  How would you categorize this book?

9.            Katey compared life to a journey where decisions we make along the way alter our life’s course and then to a card game where we must decide what to do with each card until the deck is done (page 323).  How does this describe her life?   Does is describe yours?  What decisions have you made that altered your life’s course?

10.          Did you like the inclusion of Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour that was carried by George Washington?  How did Tinker’s life follow these rules?  How did it not?

11.          Discuss the writing.  Did you enjoy it?  What were your favorite phrases?  Here are some of mine:

·         Page 40 – description of sandwich, “a little too long on adjectives and little too short on specifics”
·         Page 45 – “fessed up” and “clammed up”
·         Page 78 – “waiting to hoi polloi home”
·         Page 79 – “It is a lovely oddity of human nature that a person is more inclined to interrupt two people in conversation than one person alone with a book.”
·         Page 80 – “I let the silence grow awkward.”

Another Place at the Table, Kathy Harrison

Foster Family:

Kathy (author) and Bruce Harrison

Biological sons:  Bruce Jr., Nathan, Benjamin

Adopted daughters:  Neddy, Angie, Karen

Foster Children:

Karen:   mother Bonnie, brother Ryan

Lucy:  mother Ellen

Sara:  mother Sharon

Therapist:  Sandra Martin

Sara was sexually abused by almost every adult in her life

Danny:  mother Pearl

Danny had no conscience.  Karen was sure that someday he would hurt someone.

For discussion:

NOTE:  All page numbers refer to the paperback edition.

1.            After reading the book, has your view of the child welfare system and foster homes changed?
        

2.            At one point Kathy was working to adopt Karen and find a permanent home for Lucy. 

·         How do you think Lucy (and the others) felt about not being chosen for adoption also?

3.            On page 49 she described the incident where a foster mother left one child in the car and she wrote, “In an instant, with one faulty decision, her life is irrevocably altered.  She will never be the same again.” 

·         Relate this to the incident at the Pittsburgh, PA Zoo where a mother stood her 2-year-old son on a railing to get a better view of the African Painted Dogs and the child fell in and died. (November 2012)

·         Have you ever made an instantaneous decision that could have been disastrous?

4.            Consider the training to become a foster parent.  Kathy said the training she received was useless.  What training do you think would be beneficial?  How can we screen and then support foster families?

5.            On page 36 she wrote, “There are lots of ways to take care of children, and they aren’t all going to be the way I would do it.”    What are your thoughts about this statement?

6.            How can we help natural parents be better parents?

7.            What can we do to help some of these severely damaged children who cannot function in society?

8.            Discuss the Harrison family as a whole.  What were your feelings about Kathy and Bruce’s role as natural and as foster parents?  Is taking in so many foster children fair to the natural children?

9.            One aspect of reading is that we gain insights into other people and their lives, thoughts and feelings.  Do you feel that you now have a better understanding of the background of people you know who are in difficult family situations or who you have read about in the news or in other novels?

Hanging Out, Messing Around and Geeking Out, by Mizyko Ito and others

Chapter	Topics
1 Media Ecologies	Genre of Participation: Hanging Out – activities include keeping in touch, listening to music, contacting friends, texting, not productive   Messing Around – More intense; looking for information, “fortuitous searching;” learning through trial and error (no concern about mistakes); need access and time Common activities to reading – making, adjusting and confirming predictions also  predictions about how to navigate text on line   Geeking Out – Very intense, often on one subject; require high level of specialized knowledge; willingness to bend or break social and technological rules; requires time, access, resources and ability to connect with community of experts
2 Friendship	New media is important to develop and maintain friends Similar to the 1980s malls 1950s were start of the separate teen culture With new media, teens can extend status negotiations as well as drama when away from school On-line and in-person considered the same Usually do not connect with new people through new media – mostly used to communicate with current friends. One new aspect – forced and public announcements of social connections
3 Intimacy	Dating is less formal than in the 1970s and 1980s Pairs are in constant contact with each other Status is public – both when become connected and when break-up
4 Families	Parental concerns: Have lost control – kids too dependent on devices Spend too much time with friends and devices Less fact-to-face interactions   One issue – location of media in home Mom still mostly in charge
5 Gaming	There is little evidence that violent games cause aggression Five genres of gaming: Killing time, solitary Hanging out – social Recreational gaming – more males, more intense, more difficult games Organizing and mobilizing – play in organized groups Augmented game play – expand time to other texts such as cheat sheets, fan sites, also sometimes remake and customize game
6 Creative Production	Learning Development of skills New forms of literacy Peer feedback and evaluation
7 Work	Activities seen as serious and productive work Preparation for future jobs and careers Out-of-school media programs: Form of remedial classwork Vocational training? Lower income students experiences very different from those of higher income and from highly educated families
8 Conclusion	The authors concluded that “Kids’ participation in networked publics suggests some new ways of thinking about the role of public education….what would it mean to think of education as a process of guiding kids’ participation in public life more generally, a public life that includes social, recreational, and civic engagement?”  (page 352-3)

 For discussion:

NOTE:  All page numbers are from hardback edition.

1.            How different is friendship with new media than when you were in school?  Consider the following:

                       ·        Drama

·         Boyfriend/girlfriend connections

·         Breaking-up with significant other

·         Gossip

·         Bullying

2.            Two questions the study sought to answer were:

·         “How are new media being taken up by youth practices and agendas?” (Page 339)

·         “How do these practices change the dynamics of youth-adult negotiations over literacy, learning and authoritative knowledge?”  (Page 339)

What are the answers?

3.            Why do you think the teens choose the names they did when they did not want to use their own name?   For example, AbsoluteDestiny, NubMuffin and orangefizzy.   What name would you choose for yourself?

4.            In chapter 6, Creative Production, there were many positive activities that correspond to what many try to do in  and out of the classroom to enhance learning.   These include out-of-school learning, access to a wide range     of  experts, collaboration, peer-based learning and peer evaluation.   Can we use this interest and motivation in the classroom?

5.            Did the description of everything involved in gaming (page 232) as well as the collaborative effort to kill Tiamat (page 326) change your opinion of “gamers?”

6.            Discuss your reading experience.  Did it give you any insights into your students’ reading?  How would your experience have been different, or how was it different, reading the book as an ebook?