The immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a multi-faceted novel of considerable depth. On one side, it was the tale of a poor family that lacked opportunity, struggling to make their way in the world. The Lacks family is full of interesting characters, many of whom feel they have been exploited by doctors and scientists. Another piece of this novel speaks of the lives and work of the scientists who utilized Henrietta Lacks’ unique cells to revolutionize modern medicine and biology. The final piece tying the whole book together is author Rebecca Skloot’s excursions into the history of the now famous HeLa cells and the woman behind them.
I found the history in this book to be one of the most interesting parts. By delving into the lives of the Lacks family, Rebecca offers a novel view of American society, culture and its values, from the 1930’s up until modern day. I believe this is one of the most entertaining elements of this novel, and found it thoroughly enthralling.
Rebecca weaves her tale in captivating manner. By using a warm-hearted tone and significant knowledge of her material, Rebecca takes what could have been very polarizing and enflaming subjects and paints them in shades of gray. Rebecca could have written a novel on how evil doctors had viciously ripped the cells from an underprivileged woman in an era of science gone mad, but she did not. On the other hand, she could have written page after page lauding the magnificent achievements of the brilliant researchers who used HeLa to vastly improve our world, but this was not the case either. She could have even written a book about social injustice and the plight of minorities, but no. Instead, it is almost as though Rebecca incorporated all three simultaneously, yet, at the same time, none of these. Rebecca Skloot’s novel is one of hope and heart-ache, life and death, and knowledge and ignorance. It is truly a great novel, and one I strongly recommend.
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sqk5368
So far in my readings, I can say that The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an intriguing book in many respects. The story of Henrietta is a powerful one, and her story can illuminate the 1940’s and 1950’s in ways few others can. Her battle with her illness is both a heart wrenching tale of woe and a fascinating medical mystery. So far, this novel has succeeded in taking a scientific feat and giving it a human face.
Henrietta’s life during the first half of the 20th century is fascinating. Her story offers an historical perspective seldom seen in a history book. Throughout my schooling years I have read about the Jim Crow laws and racial discrimination, but that always seemed like a backwards culture of the distant past. Reading the story of Henrietta, however, makes it seem much less far away. It was peculiar, after all, to think that at the same time there were segregated drinking fountains doctors were using radiation to treat cancer, a practice still being refined today. Henrietta’s story brings the past to life in ways that, I believe, are far more impactful than a text book.
The book also succeeds in telling the story of a truly remarkable scientific escapade. The tale of Henrietta’s incredibly potent cancer is an intriguing medical mystery. Why was hers able to spread and grow so rapidly? This is a question I now find myself pondering. Additionally, the story of how her cells went from being a novel experimental culture to helping cure polio is equally extraordinary. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is not only the story of an intriguing woman, but one of fascinating science and discovery. -
sqk5368
Success with honor. To some, these are but the hollow words of a catchy slogan, no different than McDonald’s “I’m Lovin It” or Allstate’s “You’re in Good Hands.” For most of us who attend Penn State, however, these words mean more.
For years this school was guided by the principles of success with honor, and with these in mind our prominence grew to incredible heights. Across the globe our reputation spread, attracting students from countries near and far. I have personally befriended people from places as distant as Columbia and China, and they tell me Penn State is even more prodigious abroad than it is in the United States. With such a strong reputation and history of excellence, it is easy to see why Penn State is the choice for thousands of young people every year.
Unfortunately, the university has been stained by crime and foolishness. By now anyone reading this should be aware of the Sandusky scandal and its hideous details. What this man has done is despicable, and he deserves punishment. All of us at Penn State have the utmost sympathies for the innocent children who were preyed upon by this monstrous man, and we will do our best to extend help and understanding to them and their families. But a less understood trouble is the way this has altered the university.
As the university administration floundered in the wake of relentless media attacks, several of the decisions they made were grievous errors. Did some members of the university staff fail in their duties? Yes. It is now quite obvious that Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz not only acted incompetently but stunningly irresponsibly. In addition, former President Graham Spanier’s ill-advised statements were incredibly obtuse, and most students I spoke with are glad to see the man gone. These people acted poorly and deserve castigation, of this there can be no doubt. But the university has made some very unwise decisions, and now due to a chain of foreseeable and preventable events, we all suffer.
The catalyst for these unfortunate events was the hyper sensational media. While the actual crimes are not directly related to the university as a whole, Penn State Pedophilia Scandal Cover-up sounds much more salacious than Penn State Coach Indicted. While I agree that some members of the university administration did act poorly, some of the spin I have heard the news put on the story gives the impression that the school is a corrupt den of malefactors and criminals. This simply is not true. Penn State is still the same school it always was, and it is unfair to question our academic reputation based off of the idiocy of a few administrators.
Another unwise strike against our reputation was the firing of Joe Paterno. As I read into the story, it seems to me that Joe Paterno was the only one who did what he was supposed to do. When notified of misconduct, Joe went to his superiors as was ethically correct. Could he have done more? The argument can certainly be made, but it is always easy to see the faults of a decision years after it was made. Who knows what the climate was like when Joe Paterno informed Curley? Let us not forget that Joe is an old, busy man and Sandusky was a longtime colleague who was not even employed by the university at the time. Would you immediately call the police on an old acquaintance when you yourself were unsure of what was actually going on? I would like to think of myself as a man of morals and justice, but I cannot honestly say I would have someone arrested solely off of what my friends tell me. And I believe, despite what they say, many others would also wait to get a clearer picture of things before taking far-reaching actions.
Joe Paterno exemplified Penn State’s creed of success with honor. In all his years of coaching, Joe has never been found guilty of any malicious activity. His loyalty to the school is without question, and the student’s loyalty to him is without equal. When we saw Joe cast aside as he was, we felt betrayed. Joe Paterno is not only a legend, but almost a father figure to everyone in this school. He was the rock of this university, a man of character, principle and loyalty that we all admired. As we watched his honor challenged and dignity stripped from him, many students felt confused and angry. Unfortunately, these powerful emotions have done more harm than good.
When the story of Sandusky’s crimes came about, the school was seen as a scandalous coven, when Joe was fired, the students felt betrayed. Our reputation was in dire peril, and firing Joe brought about possibly the worst event that could happen now: Riots. As I lie awake last night, mind struggling to digest the gravity of what was happening, I could hear screams in the night. “We love you Joe!” yelled one, “Joe-Pa! Joe-Pa! Joe-Pa!” chanted another. The streets were flooded with emotional students, angered by the administrations decisions and frustrated by the situation in general. Unfortunately, livid, emotional people in large groups rarely lead to good outcomes, and the scene soon degenerated. While I did not partake in the activities, when I awoke this morning my phone was inundated with messages from friends and family. The first one I opened was from my brother, also a student at Penn State, saying “It’s good you stayed home, they are using tear gas and there are fires downtown.” These irresponsible acts have not only endangered people, but sunk our reputation even further. We must remember that not everyone knows what we know here, and to many all they heard was that Joe Paterno was fired because of a pedophilia scandal. What will people in distant places think when they hear of us rioting because the school fired a coach that, according to some news casters, deserved to be fired? Would you want your child attending that school? While we students here may feel Joe is being unjustly vilified, we must remember to act with dignity, lest we betray the very principles which endeared so many of us to the man.
Success with honor. I believe this statement still defines our school. However, with scandal and riots it will not be long before Penn State’s once prestigious reputation is reduced to “That was the place with the pedophiles, right?” I, for one, will do my best to see our reputation restored. It may not be easy, and it may take more time than we would like, but if we fall now we may never recover. It is our responsibility as students to show how great Penn State is, and we must do so now more than ever. Instead of riots, let us have peaceful protests. Instead of anger and destruction, let us use our emotional energies to help the victims of Sandusky. And instead of flipping news vans, let us show Joe Paterno that we do still love him by honoring his legacy. Penn State will never be the same, but it does not have to fade into mediocrity. -
sqk5368
The Filter Bubble was a rather alarming read. In the past, personalized web browsing seemed an innocuous convenience. I liked the idea that a website would show links and articles about things I felt were relevant, rather than spending the time and effort needed to personally scour the internet for information. The Filter Bubble, however, has altered my view of things.
Pariser has forced me to look at something I had once found inconsequential in a different light. The internet no longer seems as “safe” as it did. In the past, when I went on the internet there was a sense of freedom I felt, as though the entire world was at my fingertips and no one could judge me going about things my way. But now the internet seems more malefic. The mere concept that Google tracks almost all of my movements is unnerving enough, but to know that this information can and is being used without my knowledge or expressed consent troubles me.
That being said, I do feel that Pariser is a bit of a pessimist. Greed does not always win, after all. While he does touch base on the good of the internet and how it can be made better towards the end of his book, the overwhelming sense of futility that pervades The Filter Bubble is, in my opinion, not entirely founded. Even when he discusses technologies I personally find have fascinating potential, like augmented reality systems and other DARPA technologies, he seems to think that corporate greed will quickly and completely corrupt these. I think this is not the case. While money does certainly hold power, it does not always win. Governments and civilizations are dependent on ideals and the desires of individuals at least as much as money, and while corporate power may be incredibly influential it is not omnipotent.
Perhaps Pariser’s book is a bit dour for my tastes. While there may be room for corruption in new technologies, it does not necessarily mean corruption is a guarantee. However, The Filter Bubble has cast many things I had taken for granted in a new light. Google will never look the same, and I will constantly be removing tracking cookies from now on. So while I may not agree with everything Pariser believes, his book has made me more aware of the dangers of unregulated internet corporations. -
sqk5368
Dystopia
I wish I was not such a fan of science fiction sometimes. If I were not so fond of visions of the future, I would not be so aware of the myriad of dystopian futures presented by authors. Perhaps if I had not read Fahrenheit 451 or 1984 the things I am reading would be less disturbing. In Eli Pariser’s The Filter Bubble, the internet is being painted more and more as a picture of dystopian surveillance and now, even manipulation.
In Fahrenheit 451, there are no more books. All information of significant or philosophical gravity is destroyed, and replaced with giant television panoramas which display only entertaining shows. Using this new media, the audience plays along (In the novel, the audience reads from a script to feel more involved in the plot) and only propaganda and rigged electoral debates are aired. Indeed, the play along media has become so ingratiated and integral to the lives of the people that they are referred to as “the Family.” The people of this world are little more than hollow airheads, spurred on only by what seems fun. What is revealed towards the end is that the world was not mutated into this muted shell by nefarious governments seeking to cull and control riotous populations, but by the people themselves. They stopped wanting to know about depressing wars. Citizens felt that educated people and complicated things lowered their self-esteem, so they were marginalized and eventually banned. This was a world where people live only for pleasure, and any uncomfortable thought or feeling is either denied, hidden or outright destroyed.
How does this relate to The Filter Bubble? Simply put, filter bubbles seem to be moving people in the direction of Fahrenheit 451. You don’t believe the President is a natural born citizen? With filter bubbles, no one else on the internet seems to either! Tired of hearing about depressing tales of pollution, war and famine? Here comes a personalized internet, and suddenly the world is full of happy kittens and babies! As far as you are concerned, the turmoil in Yemen does not even exist. These filter bubbles are nefariously similar to 451 because they can alter our media fundamentally, which, as Pariser explains, fundamentally alters us.
So now we see how filters and personalized web content can relate to one dystopia, but what of the other, arguably far worse world of Orwell’s 1984? Surveillance. With the sheer quantity of data websites are gathering on people these days, large corporations can subtly manipulate people in ways even Orwell did not think of. As I read over the section of the book describing how our psychological profiles could be mapped and sold to advertisers and government intelligence agencies, the conversation in which Winston was told that the surveillance mechanisms of 1984’s world were monitored by legions of psychologists raced through my mind. What struck me even more was the part where Pariser spoke of how information and public opinion could be easily manipulated through media. One Washington insider he spoke to mentioned that a thesaurus was his most valuable tool in propaganda, simply so he could rephrase things. While I may not be completely fluent in 1984’s Newspeak, that sounded doubly un-good to me.
Maybe I just read too many pessimistic novels, but what Pariser is speaking of in The Filter Bubble unnerves me. What he is describing may possibly be portrayed a bit hyperbolically, but that is of little comfort to a mind filled with images of telescreens and mechanical hounds. I hope that events do not transpire in fashions in any way similar to those of the dystopian futures I have read about, but as the story of The Filter Bubble keeps being revealed, I can’t help but feel anxious. -
sqk5368
My first reactions to The Filter Bubble was not entirely positive. I, for one, felt Eli Prasier was being rather alarmist. An entire book on Google’s personalized search methods? What is the controversy there? Surely these things could only serve to make life a tad more convenient, as they can be fairly readily circumvented. I felt the internet was still a largely anonymous place, where people could post nasty comments and stupid jokes without fear of reprisal. And while this still may be the case, I cannot help but feel there is a subtle shift taking place.
As I dig deeper into the novel, the internet does seem to be becoming a bit more Orwellian than I had thought. The sheer numbers of tracking cookies and behavioral analysis algorithms for a single website, say MSN.com, is incredible, and a bit unnerving. After all, does Google really need to know my location if I am looking up a video of a funny cat? Why is it that Amazon should be able to recommend books I might like with a greater accuracy than my own mother? It seems a bit odd to me. Maybe I too am being a little alarmist, but as I read the more I get the feeling that the dreaded telescreens that haunted Winston in Orwell’s nightmarish England are moving slightly closer to reality.
Is the Internet a malicious entity, whose purpose is to conduct espionage and snuff out political dissidents and thought criminals? No. For the most part, it still exists as a place to communicate and laugh at funny pictures. Is it inconceivable that it will soon observe our every movement to see if we are good members of The Party? For now, I think yes. But, with the vast amounts of resources and brainpower being poured into behavior monitoring programs on websites, I feel there is certainly lots of room for abuse, even if it is not overtly perceptible right now. -
sqk5368
It has been my belief that others cannot always be trusted. I say this not in a cynical or paranoid manner, but often times what others perceive and what I perceive are rather different. The simplest example of this can be seen in movies. I enjoy good films, and will always keep an eye out for an upcoming movie that looks interesting or is getting good reviews. However, I have come to realize that some people have very different tastes in terms of entertaining cinema. Recently, I had a friend suggest that the Smurfs movie was a very good film. I cringed. Perhaps this seems like a trivial matter, but this belief that other people have very different tastes than I do is an important guideline for many of my life’s choices.
This is why Malcolm Gladwell’s article, The Order of Things, makes so much sense to me. I had always thought that college rankings, while perhaps helpful, are not very good indicators for choosing a college. Even before reading the article and seeing the gaping holes in the ranking systems, I had always believed that choosing a college should be based on personal aspirations and desires, not prestige.
It is this reasoning which led me to Penn State, and not an Ivy League school. While it is certainly arguable that I would not have been admitted to Harvard or Yale, I never wanted to either. For me personally, I knew that any upper-tier university would offer comparable education, so the issues became price, location, and how much I liked the look and feel of the campus. While Ivy League schools may look pretty and boast more prestige, the feeling is all wrong. Who wants to hang around a bunch of rich, pompous windbags all day? I want a college where I can be an idiot sometimes and no one will judge me too harshly.
So when I read The Order of Things, I felt it was spot on. After all, how can one possibly say Harvard is better than Penn State unless someone studied at both? And even then, what that person thinks makes a “good” school is probably very different than yours and mine. Who knows, someone may like T.C.N.J. more than U.N.C. simply because they have better tasting omelets in the morning! So while some statistics may be useful tools when it comes to picking schools, when it comes right down to it you have to pick a school that fits you. -
sqk5368
Outliers is a truly fascinating novel. Throughout Gladwell’s work I learned a plethora of new facts and was presented with equally as many novel ideas. There were many patterns he presented that I had never even thought to look for, and the few I had been mildly aware of were illustrated in wonderful depth. The simple matter is that Outliers is a book that should be read for anyone who dreams of greatness.
That being said, Outliers is not a self-help book, though it can be helpful. Nor is it a book for those who seek encouragement to follow their dreams, though it can be inspirational. In fact, Outliers can be deceptively two-faced. While many skim its pages and feel their hopes being squeezed out of them, still others dive into the book and come out feeling invigorated. When some discover that 10,000 hours is the magical number needed to reach mastery level they despair, for who could devote so much precious time to something? Others, such as myself, see it as a goal, a now clearly defined threshold to be reached for. Perhaps Outliers is not a novel with an absolute message, but the lessons it gives are still incredibly significant.
That does not, however, mean I necessarily agree with everything presented. Near the final pages of the book, Malcolm Gladwell speaks of the need for change. He claims that only by giving people access to opportunity and only by taking in account people’s cultures can we all be successful, and all be “outliers”. But is this possible? Is there the will to devote all the time and resources necessary to enact such a monumental societal restructuring? And even if there is, would it really change anything? Perhaps if more schools had computer labs in the 1960’s there would be more computing prodigies, but would there really be that many more computing legends like Bill Gates? I am not so certain. While I am all for furthering education and giving people the opportunities they need to succeed, I am just not certain the world is big enough for everyone to be an “outlier”.-
daa5208
I think if you really think about it, we all are outliers in some kind of way. Haven’t you created something and called it your own? Haven’t you achieved success at one point or another within your life? Would you say you our your own person in a different category from anyone else?
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sqk5368
Not everyone has “the right stuff.” This has been the thinking for almost as long as modern society has existed. Bob just is not a math guy. Tennis is just not the thing for Alice. Ronald was just born to wash dishes. This idea permeates the mind of many modern Americans, whether we admit to it or not.
What I found most striking about Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, is not that it reveals just how much luck it takes to achieve greatness, but how simple it can be to achieve reasonable success. What I’ve read reveals to me that success is not all about luck or talent. Indeed, my preconceived notions of talent and “math people,” have been called into question lately. While many read through Outlier and despair at how impossible greatness may be to attain, I read through this book and am filled with hope. While I may never become the best, most well-known or wealthy person, I am certain more now than ever that if I dedicate myself to a path, I can find success. For instance, after reading through the chapters about Asian countries and their attitudes towards math, I am filled with a sense of optimism. I now believe that, while I may not like math, if I stay with the problem longer and struggle a bit more to understand it, then I can be one of those “math guys.”
So I may never be the best, but now I believe I can be good. If I devote my time and effort to something, say around 10,000 hours of time, I can even be great. And who knows, I may just get lucky. As W.H. Murray once said in The Scottish Himalayan Expedition (1951) , “that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.”
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iphone 4s covers 10:32 am on 06/12/2012 Permalink |
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