At The Intersection of Science and Journalism is Humanity

Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is more than a non-fiction work of science and journalism – it is a cultural phenomenon. Showered with praise when first published in 2010, The Immortal Life remains a best seller lists. It is read in high schools and colleges, in reading groups and in families. Millions of copies have been sold and it is reputed to be one of the most popular choices as a common reader in first year groups at college.

Immortal LifeSkloot’s subject is Henrietta Lacks, the cancer cells that came from her and have been harvested and continue to grow today, and Skloot’s efforts to meet and understand Lacks’ family. Tightly structured and extremely well-written, the book moves briskly, raises important questions, and crosses genres and fields of study with clarity of purpose and direction. It is a gripping read.

Lacks, a poor black women with five children, sought medical help from Johns Hopkins Medical Center in 1951. Lacks was suffering from cervical cancer that would soon kill her. Doctors at Johns Hopkins took a sample of the tumor and without Lacks’ knowledge or consent, harvested the cancer cells for research. The cells grew and replicated at an amazing rate. The cell strain, known as HeLa, were shared freely and readily with other scientists. Many important discoveries were made possible because of HeLa cells, and they continue to be used today.

The history of Lacks’ life and the science of HeLa are both interesting. What makes the book compelling is the collision of the two worlds as experienced by Skloot and the Lacks family. The differences in culture, education, opportunity and world views are extreme but not unbridgeable. Skloot is a determined researcher and she brings to her task the deep curiosity of a journalist. Her questions matter and over time, her commitment enables communication and sharing from Lacks’ family.

From the family’s perspective, Henrietta’s death was a severe loss. Her children in many ways never recovered. Constrained by racism and poverty, the Lacks’ family struggled with some successes and some failures. Little was shared in helpful or systematic ways from the white medical establishment about HeLa. Until the work of Skloot and others, distrust best characterized the family’s relationship with modern science.

Skloot is careful not to present herself as a hero. She does not pretend to have all the answers. She explains and describes. In doing so honestly, she does Henrietta Lacks and her family a great service. Despite their differences, Skloot is a friend to the family and in particular, to Deborah Lacks, Henrietta’s daughter.

In striking that tone and in living up to her values, Skloot’s book transcends science, journalism, and history to be something more. The Immortal Life gives us an opportunity to see how antimonies can be bridged: death and immortality, science and faith, white and black, rich and poor. At its essence, it is a book of hope. And it is that belief that opposites can be resolved that will ensure many more future readers.

David Potash

 

May 12, 2014 Reviews

Repaving the Road to Charity

The Road to HELP: The Revolution in Charity, Philanthropy and International Development is a clear-eyed critique of the twenty-first century international charity/aid industry, an enormous cultural and political phenomenon that it is difficult to define. The book is also a memoir of work in the aid field, told with wisdom, perspective, and a bit of romance. Taken together, HELP is a plea to be aware of the very deep challenges that come with the idea of doing good elsewhere in the world. It is an interesting and troubling book that raises more questions than it answers.

HELPAuthor Miles Wortmann, a seasoned participant in the world of international development, makes a compelling argument that the business of giving has changed profoundly in recent years. He draws attention to a “religindustry” that has been fed by tremendous private wealth and reshaped and restructured by business and management consultancy. Charting the interconnected growth of simple focused charities into an enormous sector combining celebrity, megawealth, foundations, and professional expertise. HELP is a contemporary cultural and economic leviathan.

Wortmann worries that the massive foundations may overwhelm democratic processes. Their great wealth and freedom to function without democratic or public accountability enhances their power. They also limit the effectiveness of government by supplanting public good. Wortmann argues that big philanthropy crowds out effective public and government action. The foundations may issue report after report, have initiative after initiative, but see little long-term gain. Wortmann believes that data and history prove that meaningful improvement for the world’s poor comes from the steady development of local culture, systems, and government. In other words, the best path for the poor is often through the development of their own public agency and systems. Wortmann offers this critique while also acknowledging that big philanthropy does have successes, employs many well-meaning people, and often does strive to make the world a better place.

Of great concern to Wortmann is the commercialization and commodification of charity. He bristles at campaigns that reduce complex problems to marketing slogans. From ending world hunger to finding a cure to this or that disease, we are awash in private foundations calling for support to address public problems. Even more galling to Wortmann is the place of moral privilege granted to foundations. Questioning their campaigns comes with great risk. To not support an effort is to deny the impulse to do good.

Wortmann’s experience grants him awareness of how big philanthropy operates from within the system. He tells of meetings, consultations, trips and endless reports. The picture he paints is one of meaningless acronyms, large sums of money, and a weird admixture of high-level morality and deep cynicism. It must be an extremely frustrating way to try to effect meaningful change in poor parts of the world.

Some describe hypocrisy as the tribute that vice pays virtue. I wonder if HELP, Wortmann’s mega-religindustry, is the tribute that free market capitalism pays to morality. Wortmann’s book outlines a problem that is well worth time and consideration.

David Potash

May 4, 2014 Reviews, Things someone who grew up in NJ might write