Northwestern students and faculty gathered in Harris Hall on Thursday for a One Book One Northwestern event with David “Sonny” Lacks , the son of the book’s subject.
This year the Office of the President chose “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot for the OBON program, which aims to bring the NU community together through one book each year. Skloot’s novel focuses on the history of the Lacks family and the unique nature of Lacks’s cells, which have been the foundation of many medical research experiments.
The Thursday discussion, moderated by Evanston Health Department Director Evonda Thomas, is one of the many events that have been created to foster discussion about the book among students, faculty and Evanston residents. Freshmen seminar classes submitted questions to direct the evening’s discussion and audience members were also given an opportunity to ask questions.
“Events have been really well attended,” said OBON fellow Emily Gao, a Weinberg senior. “At one-time events, we’ve had to turn people away.”
Topics included the change in relationship between the white and black sides of Lacks’s family after the book was published, and David Lacks’s relationship with Skloot.
Some students focused their questions on the medical community, asking whether it had reached out to the Lackses and whether or not the family feels it deserves anything for Henrietta’s contribution.
Skloot also made an appearance and answered a question at the event. She discussed the deficiencies in the healthcare system of the United States, pointing out even though HeLa cells have contributed to the field of healthcare, most of the Lacks family still does not have health insurance.
Since the book was published, David Lacks has participated in seven conversations about the novel, including Thursday’s interview. He spoke at NU’s Chicago campus earlier Thursday to a small group of medical and law students and said he is the designated family member for facilitating these types of discussions. The NU event also featured his daughter, Jeri Lacks Whye.
“It’s enjoyable and it feels warm to me to see so many people who want to know about HeLa cells, and who want to listen to me talk,” Lacks said. “I get a chance to see the world now.”
After applause and a standing ovation, the audience members formed a line to get their books signed by Skloot and the Lackses.
“I was really taken by the story because it showed that there’s more to medicine than what you think by bringing up bioethics,” said Weinberg sophomore Nadia Abdulhafiz.
Abdulhafiz added the discussion helped reinforce the book’s impact on the reader.
“You hear about stories but you never really get to see the real thing; this makes it so reviving, so surreal.”
Future OBON events include the keynote address by Skloot on Jan. 26.
