HeLa Response

There are some books that create an insane amount of buzz and popularity. I’d consider The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks to fit in that category. I heard so many other students discuss this book, and I was jealous because for all other writing classes it was a required read in their syllabi. I was ecstatic to see it included within our syllabus this semester, mainly because I would be finally diving into the life that helped millions of others, without any knowledge of it at all.

Personally, I thought the delivery was very fast-paced. I think this was beneficial to the book as a whole, and I think it was at least somewhat intentional. The book deals with the adventure of a very rare group of cells, taken from a tumor in Henrietta Lacks’ cervix, which multiplied and spread at a very rapid rate. The delivery parallels that spreading, and it carries on throughout the majority of its pages. Normally, I’m stuck sitting around after such a quick read thinking how I will ever remember the last 300 pages of material, but this case was an exception.

I thought the quickness of the delivery would also hurt my chances on remembering character names, as well, but I was mistaken. I may not remember minute details about the extended family, but I think what was so great about this book is that once Rebecca Skloot provides a name (like Sadie or Margaret) I am able to remember just enough to get by without going back to reread their initial introduction.

Skloot is able to take on the voice of the characters she is writing about rather easily. With the inclusion of their direct voice, in separate passages sprinkled into the text, readers are able to see really what the Lacks’ situation was like from start to finish. I thought throughout this whole book how, as students, we are told not really to rely on long quotes/materials when we write, but I really enjoyed the passages Skloot included. I think my favorite was in the very first chapter, when Henrietta is at John Hopkins to figure out what is giving her problems. Skloot includes her medical history chart provided by past doctors verbatim. It really shines light on Henrietta’s character. I think a lot of other writers would try to paraphrase or maybe just use a quick clip of that history in their own book, but including the whole chart describes Henrietta perfectly—mainly because we see how slow she is to take care of her own body.

The readers share Skloot’s tone—at least I did when I recognized it. I found that although Skloot tries to remain very neutral on the handling of the HeLa cells and the lack of appreciation the science field has given the Lacks family, there are times where her own disapproval is leaked to the surface. I don’t think that is a bad thing, because I’d say most of the people choosing to read this book would feel the same way. The Lacks’ were taken advantage of, and were not given any credit for what Henrietta’s cells have done posthumously. I don’t think any reader, and even Skloot included, should be chastised for thinking what they want with how the Lacks’ have been treated.

250 Words Are Not Enough

I cried at a funeral for the first time three weeks after I graduated from high school. I had been to my fair share in the past, but not to the point of emotional release. I just thought I was lucky. The following July, 13 months later, I found myself mourning in front of three closed caskets, all within a couple of days, and I cried at each one.

I wasn’t naïve… or maybe I was. What I didn’t know was the frequency at which death can attack. I had four friends lose its battle, and all could have been avoided. Three of those deaths were friends that I had gone to school with since kindergarten. These were people I walked the same halls with for over a dozen years. I knew them better than most.

Or at least I thought I did. Alcohol was a factor in each of the four deaths, a mistake I assumed others would make, not them. I was blindsided. Even worse, once intoxicated, they attempted to drive.

I shut down. I let their actions lead my judgments on those I had left. A process I look back at and just shake my head, it was the 18 years of safety coming back to bite me in the ass.

It’s now been two years since I’ve cried at a funeral, but that doesn’t mean death’s attack has ceased. I no longer consider myself lucky, because I know that means it’s affecting someone else’s life. And for that, I am scared.

Three Contemporary Stories and Voice

1. Bill Simmons on Lebron James choking late last postseason.

2. Jonah Keri on the evolution of Hall of Fame statistics in baseball.

3. Michael Weinreb on Penn State.

Basically, I'm a huge fan of Grantland. These selected articles show why. The versatility their writers own is explemplary. They know when to be serious and know when to be comical; the perfect blend between the two makes the articles enjoyable without duress. Obviously the topics are heavily sided within sports culture, but it's submitted in a way that is highly regarded as something more. No article is just a game recap, rather each is twisted in a different light to offer something more to its audience. A goal of mine is to achieve some of their same style and success.

Here's my attempt to capture some of that same voice:

The Ignominy Fades

The Pittsburgh Pirates have always been, at least since 1992, the laughing stock of baseball. Peel back this recent streak of ignominy, and a vast selection of baseball greatness will eagerly rise to the surface—as fast as possible to erase records of the past twenty years.

Baseball stars such as Barry Bonds, Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente—who each led the Pirates to the front of newspapers across the country for their successes—are no longer easily found. Instead, fans need to research arduously just to find out which player belongs to each jersey number as they step into the batter’s box.

Aside from the poor play on the field, outsiders are armed to remind hometown “yinzers” whenever they can about the Pirates lack of support and fan base. PNC Park, opened in 2001, is one of the best in Major League Baseball—built in a location that perfectly highlights the downtown skyline—but it’s hard not to focus on the myriad of free concerts and giveaways in an attempt to coerce fans to show up to the ballpark for all of the wrong reasons.

Fans were offered a reprieve last year when the Pirates stood atop of the NL Central standings more than halfway through the 162-game season. Pittsburgh, like a phoenix rising from fresh tobacco spit and mashed sunflower seeds, was back in the media spotlight. CNN features and front page news stories all asked the one question fans kept in the back of their minds: Could this really be the breakout year the city of Pittsburgh has been waiting for? Pittsburgh had exploded with excitement and anticipation, but Jerry Meals had the answer.

The team spiraled out of control, losing 15 out of its next 18 games, and dropped into the bottom of the standings all within a few weeks. The hype had ceased, and the team returned back to its lethargic losing attitude. Newspapers no longer focused exclusive stories on the 25 active Pirates players trying to make a name for themselves among baseball’s other elites. The season served now as an afterthought to many citizens of Pittsburgh, who now focused across the street to the offseason and potential of the Steelers, the first football game still months away.

However, the revitalization of baseball in the “Steel City” did not go to waste. Fans, while the team was in control of its own destiny, quickly started to buy tickets to watch the game for the right reason. Games were being sold out on a regular basis, and fans cheered for one common outcome: a Pittsburgh Pirates win. Outsiders were left with their mouths hanging wide open, caught with the same ammunition as before, but with no gun to ignite it.

Players can now be easily recognized throughout the majors—not to the same extent as Bonds and Clemente in the past, but a step in the right direction nonetheless. Jerseys flew off the racks at numerous shops and were owned by fans across the state. Pennsylvania is also home to the Philadelphia Phillies, a team favored to make the playoffs in what seems like every season. In one year, the Pirates graduated from the annoying little brother who is destined to lose, to the competitive, confident cousin who gives each team a run for its money.

Twenty years is a long time to fail. Pittsburgh can’t take much longer, but I’m pretty sure everyone said the same thing each year after the tenth. The city is lucky to have two other teams in the Steelers and Penguins that at least know what achieving success entails and how to maintain it. Some would say two elite sports teams are enough for a city; some would say even one makes its citizens rest easy. I say why not three? The potential support for a third is present; the Pirates proved a glimpse of it until late last year. The Pirates just need to keep the hope alive.

Two Story Ideas

1. Studying Abroad -- Before the Decision

This is a topic I am familiar with throughout the last year or so. I was accepted into a program that would allow me to study in Australia during this current semester, but I backed out a couple of months prior to the deadline for multiple reasons, mostly because I didn't think I had the guts to leave home/family -- what is most comfortable to me -- for over four months. I have a lot of friends who have studied abroad, and I think an interesting angle would be to get into the minds of the subjects right before they make their official decision. I would want to know what stresses they are feeling, what anxieties arise, or what went into making such a big decision.

2. Radio -- Behind the Scenes

Ever since joining the radio station here at Pitt, I've been interested with the background of it, and what really goes into a certain show/production. What genres are they most entertained by and how do they think that will translate to the audience they are broadcasting to? There are some DJs who are really talented with just the myriad of songs/information they have at their disposal about their respective subjects. I think it would be pretty cool to go behind the scenes and watch what happens when they work -- a new sense that gets exercised since everything is blocked out except for sound. A new element would be introduced.