Rebecca Skloot, the author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, is coming to the University of Illinois Springfield – Sangamon Auditorium this fall.
DATE: Wednesday, November 9th
TIME: 7:00 pm
WHERE: Sangamon Auditorium – The University of Illinois Springfield
ADDRESS: One University Plaza, Springfield Illinois 62702
COST: FREE and Open to the Public – tickets will be issued through the Sangamon Auditorium Ticket Office: Call 217-206-6160 to reserve your ticket! Tickets become available Monday, September 12.
ABOUT THE BOOK: In her bestselling book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2010), Skloot tells the story of a young black woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951—and left behind an inexplicably immortal line of cells known as HeLa. Skloot spent more than ten years researching Henrietta Lacks, whose cells—harvested without her knowledge or consent—contributed to scientific advancements as varied as the polio vaccine, treatments for cancers and viruses, in-vitro fertilization, and the impact of space travel on human cells. Part detective story, part scientific odyssey, and part family saga, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks raises fascinating questions about race, class, and bioethics in America.
AWARDS AND PRAISE: The book is being made into an HBO movie by Oprah Winfrey and Alan Ball, is a The New York Times Bestseller, and is the winner of numerous awards including:
The 2010 Chicago Tribune Heartland, Prize for Nonfiction
The 2010 Wellcome Trust Book Prize
The American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Award for Excellence in Science Writing
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was featured on over 60 critics’ best of the year lists
The 2011 Audie Award for Best Non-Fiction Audiobook
SPONSORS: The Friends of Brookens Library, Memorial Medical Center, The Illinois Humanities Council, Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE)
CONTACT: For more information please contact Janelle Gurnsey at 217-206-8451
