Times staff
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
ST. LEO — Rebecca Skloot, author of the best-selling nonfiction work The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Saint Leo University.
Skloot chronicled the story of Henrietta Lacks, a poor, black woman from Baltimore who was treated for cancer in the 1950s as she was raising a young family. During the course of her unsuccessful treatment, doctors took samples of cancer cells from Lacks' body without her consent, a common practice at the time. The cells reproduced so successfully that they became a vital tool in medical research and generated a new industry. Lacks' surviving family members, however, didn't find out for years. They faced multiple medical and financial hardships.
The book brings together the dual stories of the Lacks family and the progress of cancer research. Medical ethics then and now are considered, as well as issues of race and poverty.
The book will be available for sale ($26 plus tax), and the author will sign copies.
Admission to the talk is free, but seating is limited and tickets are required. Tickets are available by contacting event coordinator Katy Boyd at (352) 588-8837.
The talk will be held in the Student Community Center at the university, 33701 State Road 52, 4 miles east of Interstate 75. Parking on campus is free.