Book Club: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

 
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is the true story of a woman (Henrietta Lacks) who died in the 1950s and what was done with the cells taken from her cervix before she died of cervical cancer. HeLa cells (as they're called in the medical and scientific communities) have been used to study everything from polio to atom bombs. Her family first found out over twenty years after scientists and doctors began to study HeLa cells, and after many bad experiences with doctors, reporters, and others, they were wary to talk to Skloot about their experiences and their memories of Henrietta. Once they realized that Skloot wanted to learn about Henrietta and HeLa cells for some of the same reasons they did, however, they helped her discover things she never expected.

First Impression: I like the comfortable way in which Skloot writes. She knows Henrietta's story inside-and-out. She's been studying it for a good chunk of her life. I'm not a very scientific person, so this is an unusual book for me, but I'm finding the technical side of the book interesting as well.

Conclusion: I listened to the Random House Audio unabridged version, which was read by Cassandra Campbell and Bahni Turpin. Having two narrators provided for good contrast between Skloot's words and those she recorded from the Lacks family and friends. I have never been very good at science in school. So when I say I enjoyed this novel, you'll know one of two things: 1) not much science was involved, or 2) everything scientific was fully explained and well-integrated with the other parts of the story. The second one is true of Skloot's book. She finds a really great balance between the story of the HeLa cells and the story of the Lacks family. Obviously, the discovery that HeLa cells were being grown and sold for profit over twenty years after Henrietta's death was a huge blow to the family. They weren't even told enough to know how they felt about it for a long time. Skloot recognized that their story played a big part in the book she wanted to write, and she fit it all together seamlessly. The writing style itself has a good storytelling quality for those of us who are used to reading fiction. Another thing I was really glad the author didn't overlook was straightforward organization of the book. Skloot set it across a timeline, starting with Henrietta's childhood and ending with her own book being published. She also clearly stated where we were on the timeline when there was a shift, which is something I've sadly missed in many nonfiction books I've read. I expected to be bored by this book, but I wasn't at all. I would definitely recommend The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, even if you don't read very much nonfiction or know very much about science and cells.

This is a book I read for the book club that I attend in person. I'm working on some tweaks and also some big changes for the blog, so keep your eyes open! Also, if you have any suggestions, please feel free to share. I don't just write these reviews for myself!

P&P Challenge: Lost in Austen (2008) with Elliot Cowan and Jemima Rooper

I did not like the first half of the movie Lost in Austen. I wasn't a big fan of the acting at that point, and everything seemed very casual and a little confusing. However, this is one of those times when the end of the movie completely redeems the rest.

Where I agree with Elizabeth's actions in Pride and Prejudice, I disagree with Amanda's actions in Lost in Austen. She encourages candor and excitement wherever she goes, however, and that brings about an acceptable (if somewhat altered) resolution to the story. I think the actors became much more comfortable in their roles as they played the parts out, because I thought the acting fit perfectly toward the conclusion. The girl playing Jane did the best in my opinion, but I have yet to find any interpretation of Austen's novel where Jane was not in the top five. And Mrs. Bennet's role was completely different from the usual! While we always see a side of her that is focused on seeing her daughters married, this one certainly had a more ruthless and straightforward edge to her. At first this rubbed me the wrong way, but I realize it's just another interpretation of how her character might be up close and personal.

The three altered characters I really didn't like were Charlotte Lucas, Georgiana Darcy, and Mr. Collins. While Charlotte takes a stand for herself and sets off to be independent as a missionary, she is basically a miserable creature who has no other choice. She doesn't even seem to have the sensible composure I've come to know and love from the original character. Georgiana Darcy is basically a selfish child. When she doesn't get what she wants, she ruins someone else's life over it? That's not the sweet young woman I remember, although it does provide a happy alternative of character for George Wickham. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Collins is a pretentious, bumbling man, but he's not impossible to stand. He's not a romantic choice for a husband, but he is an acceptable one (for Charlotte anyway). In Lost in Austen, Mr. Collins is a disgusting creature. I'm not even sure how to describe him, because it makes me shudder just to think about it. Suffice it to say you would NEVER in a million years want to be his wife, or even the person to whom he's speaking, because he might be touching your hand or looking at you.

Overall, Amanda Price is pretty much what you never would but probably should expect from a modern, dissatisfied Austen fan thrown into the world of Pride and Prejudice in a different way and for a much longer time than she had originally planned. In the end (after the incredibly redeeming second half), I really enjoyed this movie. Because of the difference in the first and second halves, I'm halfway between keeping it and giving it to a friend.

Name Challenge: A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness is about a professor and researcher of alchemical history, Diana Bishop, who also happens to be a witch. Ever since the murder of her parents when she was a child, Diana does not use her magic; instead, she focuses on living her life as a human, but she never quite blends in. While studying some manuscripts in the university library one day, she accidentally unlocks a magical binding on an old alchemical manuscript which describes the secret to the philosopher's stone as well as some very powerful, as-yet-unknown information about "creatures." Harkness separates the individuals living on Earth into two categories: humans and creatures. Creatures consist of vampires, witches, and daemons, each category typically staying away from those in the other two categories. After Diana unlocks this manuscript, however, creatures from all over the world are drawn to her for one purpose or another. And when Matthew Clairmont, a vampire, starts following her around and asking her questions about the manuscript and herself, she begins to discover that there is much more to learn about the world of creatures and her place in that world.

First Impression: Harkness's novel is both surprising and familiar. She takes old ideas and gives them a new spin. Witches, vampires, and daemons, for example, are not really as they would be in a different book. Harkness makes them more similar to humans than one might expect, and she addresses the scientific side of why these creatures are the way they are, which I find incredibly interesting and unique. The author stays true to the third-person limited point-of-view, and I don't always know what is going on, but I like the underlying feel of mystery. Also, every once in a while there is a chapter told from Matthew's or someone else's point-of-view, which clears up enough of the mystery so that it does not become frustrating. I like being personally involved with at least two characters--it gives a sense of balance that I don't always find in a first-person narrative. There are a few things niggling at the back of my mind right now, but I am going to wait until I'm further along to comment on them in case they are not consistent.

Conclusion: The bookmark I was using while reading this book says, "'Fall into a good book!' --Penworthy Bear." This is going to sound cheesy, but I definitely felt as though I "fell into" this book. Harkness's novel was 579 pages but it felt like 50. I became so absorbed in what was going on that pages went by when I wasn't noticing--I had no idea how much I had read at the end of each day, only how much had occurred in the storyline and character development. Kudos to Deborah Harkness! I cannot wait to read more of this series!

I will allow myself a little rant here, because there's a common problem I've noticed in a lot of dark fantasy books, TV shows, etc that I've seen recently: vampires treating humans like possessions. This isn't always the case, but it permeates a lot of stories, and it's always a male vampire w/ a female human or witch or whatever. You have these strong female characters who claim they are independent and don't need a relationship, but then they come to a point where they have to make a choice: to be bossed around (and not just in a bossy, we can argue about this and come to a compromise way, but being told what to do and threatened otherwise) or to part ways with the man they care about. And they always choose to be bossed around! In my opinion, it doesn't matter if that guy saved her life, she needs to think for herself. Really, it's the final, "No matter what you say, my word will win out," that bugs me. There should be room for compromise. Secondly, why does everyone suddenly acquiesce to all of the killing? Sure, if someone is literally choking you to death, I can see defending yourself or letting your boyfriend at them. But they threaten you from afar and your boyfriend kills them, and suddenly it's no big deal because at least he's doing it out of love for you? No. Okay, I'm finished with my feminist rant. I will say that when Matthew and Diana drifted into this state of mind, it didn't last for very long, so I was able to continue enjoying the book.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed A Discovery of Witches and will read it again at some point. If you like fantasy (even you typically only read mass-market-sized books from a long series), you will like this.

P&P Challenge: Mr. Darcy's Diary

Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange is a re-telling of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It's told through the eyes of Mr. Darcy as he writes in his diary and fights his feelings for Elizabeth Bennet, and there are added or removed parts, of course, since the original was told from Elizabeth's point-of-view.

First Impression: So far, I like the story, but something is bothering me. I think...it's too easy. Maybe I like the story because, essentially, it's Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, just told from a different point of view. I'm sure that I'm wrong about this, but at this point it seems like Grange just read the novel once or twice and then wrote her own version. Some of her viewpoints on Mr. Darcy's emotions are interesting to me, but they don't feel like the result of an in-depth character study, which I think should be necessary when writing a piece such as this. And if I didn't know the author's name, I would still know this was written by a woman. I don't mean to nitpick, but right now it's hard for me to really get into the book. I'm hoping it grows on me as I go on.

Conclusion: I feel like I was unfair in my first impression, because it's obvious that Amanda Grange did her homework. There are many points in the book where she references the social decorum and fashionable styles of the time and place in which the story is set. But the homework she did was just that: the time and place in which the story is set. I still think she could have gone farther into the mind of Mr. Darcy. There was so little mention of things that would have been prominent in his mind--business, for example. Darcy's relationship with his sister, Georgiana, also bothers me. While it's obvious that he loves her and worries about her, I would expect them to be a bit closer than they are in Grange's story. (Speaking of Georgiana, how does she get over Wickham so fast? While the mention of him still makes her "uncomfortable," she seems to pretty much dismiss him as soon as her brother says jump. I would think that the subject would be more painful to her, even if she doesn't still love him, since she had spent so much time with him and planned to elope in such an uncharacteristic way.)

I should tell you that I do not read a lot of sequels or adaptations of classics, so my comparisons can only be to the classics themselves or to other, completely separate books that I have read. I probably enjoyed this book more than I would one about Mr. and Mrs. Darcy's romance after the wedding. Primarily, Grange's re-interpretation of Pride and Prejudice is a romance, where the woman challenges the man and he struggles to resist his love for her. It may not be quite as dramatic as all that, but that is the basic premise. I enjoyed the book, but I probably won't read it again.

Shopgirl

Shopgirl by Steve Martin is about a girl, Mirabelle, who works at a glove counter and sometimes makes charcoal drawings in her free time. Mirabelle is generally bored and often depressed, and Martin's novella is about her experiences as two new men enter her life and how her world is changed by them.

First Impression: Shopgirl by Steve Martin has the dry, understated humor that I've come to expect from the author. I never really know whether I like his characters or not, especially in the beginning of each book, and I'm still on the fence about the characters in this one. One thing I have realized is that I like his stories more when I'm listening to him read them than I do when reading them myself. Something in his tone, perhaps, changes the meaning of several sentences for me. I plan on watching the movie after listening to the piece, and I'm curious how the characters will transfer to screen.

Conclusion: I kind of predicted where the story was going, but that didn't ruin it for me. The characters became a little more balanced later in the novella, and even though I could not relate to any of them, I liked how they turned out. The ending has a smooth, comfortable feel to it, and everything felt resolved when the story ended. Although I enjoyed The Pleasure of My Company, another short piece by Martin, a bit more, Shopgirl is a nice, quick piece to read once or twice.

State of Wonder

 State of Wonder by Ann Patchett is about a pharmacologist, Dr. Marina Singh, who is sent to the Amazon upon the death of her partner to check on the progress of a drug (for continued fertility in aging women) being developed by her former teacher. Upon acceptance into the arms of the studied tribe, Marina finds that nothing is how she expected it to be, and everything she discovers will change her view of her teacher, herself, and the world.

First Impression: Patchett's novel starts out with a stony tone. I did not initially feel connected to the characters, but after a few pages, I felt that the tone matched the subject well. This is not an uplifting book, at least so far. The main character is dealing with the death of a friend and colleague as well as a lot of problems she never fully addressed in the past. The characters and plot of this book are like lettuce leaves, revealing themselves more and more as each layer is removed. I find it very intriguing and am unable to make concrete predictions on the outcome of the novel.

Conclusion: I'll admit, when I first started this book, I did not necessarily expect to like it. With as many tears as it cost me, you might conclude that I didn't like it in the end, but I did. Patchett has a beautiful way of writing that describes things you would never expect and answers questions you would never think to ask. The places to which she takes you are at once horrible and beautiful; it seems to change at each moment. Patchett is not afraid to write about the uncomfortable and, sometimes, really terrible parts that are integral to the story. In fact, sometimes she jumps in very suddenly, and I am so shocked that I am unsure how to react afterward. All-in-all, this book is fantastic, but don't read it if you are wanting a happy ending. Not that it is unhappy per se, but there are two sides to everything in this novel, and sometimes it is hard to tell on which side you are standing.

P&P Challenge: Recorded Books Audio

The Recorded Books version of Pride and Prejudice is the complete and original text written by Jane Austen and narrated by Flo Gibson. Since I haven't really recapped the novel yet, I suppose I will for those who haven't read it. Pride and Prejudice is about one of five sisters, Elizabeth Bennet, in 19th-century England. The Bennet family is known in their area for having so many daughters and being generally pleasant, if a little obnoxious, people. Elizabeth is the second-eldest-daughter, and she has a bit more common sense than the others. When a rich gentleman and his friends move into the area and are introduced to everyone, there is a lot of hope and excitement that he will marry one of the local girls. The real surprise, however, comes from the new gentleman's best friend, Mr. Darcy, who at first spurns Elizabeth and then falls in love with her. This book is a classic observation of 19th-century British society, humanity, and how people continue to learn and change throughout life.

The Recorded Books audio version of Pride and Prejudice was interesting. Flo Gibson's voice has a slight rasp to it, which I found annoying at first. Her voice was pleasant; it just didn't seem to have enough variation for the characters. As the novel went on, however, I grew accustomed to the rasp, and Gibson expanded her tone and inflections to provide more variation. In the end, I found this version to be very enjoyable. It adds a calming quality, which I liked. I don't know if this is more due to Gibson's voice or the fact that I always take comfort in having a book read to me, but either way, it was worthwhile.

I know I haven't been updating my blog as often, but hopefully my previous posting frequency will resume in April. We just celebrated Gabe's first birthday, and it was great! I can't believe it's been a whole year. Also, I took a break from some more serious reading to speed through the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. I've written mini-reviews for each book, but I plan on posting them all together after I read the companion and the last of the series, which is due to be published in May, I believe. Anyway, keep an eye out for some more great reading soon! I hope you all are having a wonderful early Spring!