The World's Best Book Summaries
Who was the geneticist that may have revealed Henrietta’s real name? How did Victor McKusick attempt to dupe the Lacks family? Did McKusick and his postdoctoral fellow Susan Hsu do anything wrong? Victor McKusick is the geneticist at Johns Hopkins that studied the genes of Henrietta Lacks’ family. He and Susan Hsu were working on the issue of HeLa contamination. Find out what Victor McKusick and Susan Hsu did, and whether it was legal.
Who were Henrietta Lacks’ children? How did they cope with the tragic death of their mother? What happened to Henrietta Lacks’ kids as they got older? Henrietta Lacks’ children are Lawrence, Elsie, Sonny, Deborah, and Joe. After her death, Henrietta Lacks’ kids were cared for in part by cousins that turned out to be abusive. Read about Henrietta Lacks’ children, what happened to them in the decades after she passed, and how the use of HeLa cells affected them.
Who was Dr. Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield? Was he really a doctor? Was he really a lawyer? Was he really a member of the aristocracy? Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield was just a conman, who claimed to be related to Henrietta Lacks. He posed as both a lawyer and a doctor after already serving time in prison for fraud. Learn more about Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield, his cons, and his many lawsuits.
Who is Cliff Floyd? Was Cliff Floyd a baseball player, and what role did he play in Moneyball? Cliff Floyd was a player whom Athletics GM Billy Beane tried to acquire through trades. The Cliff Floyd trade was a failure, but it shows Billy Beane’s shrewdness in acquiring players that fit his plan.
Who is Ricardo Rincon? What was his role in Moneyball? Ricardo Rincon is a reliever that A’s GM Billy Beane has been eyeing the whole season. Now, Billy Beane spots the opportunity to get Ricardo Rincon on his roster. Read about how Moneyball‘s Rincon trade relied on Sabermetrics, and Billy’s dealmaking ability.
Who was Art Howe, and what did he do in Moneyball? How did Art Howe contribute to the A’s season, and what was his relationship like with Billy Beane? Art Howe, Oakland A’s Manager, clashed with Billy Beane over the idea of sabermetrics and Beane’s over-management of the team. Art Howe was eventually hired by another ball club, but Howe’s Oakland management was both contentious and successful.
Who is Scott Hatteberg in Moneyball? What did Scott Hatteberg do in Moneyball, and why was he important to the Oakland A’s winning strategy? Scott Hatteberg was a Moneyball character and real-life professional baseball player. He was recruited by Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s as a part of their data-driven strategy.
What are the Bill James Baseball Abstracts? How did the Bill James Baseball Abstracts change how teams looked at data? The Bill James Baseball Abstracts came from Bill James’s writings on baseball and data. James eventually published an annual baseball abstract to highlight the gaps in traditional baseball data, a publication sought after by proponents of Sabermetrics.
Who was Jason Giambi on the Athletics? What did it mean when Jason Giambi left the Oakland a’s? Jasson Giambi, Athletics star player and power-hitter, was one of the big talents on the Oakland Athletics. The loss of Jason Giambi from the A’s is what causes Billy Beane to think outside the box and consider groundbreaking new options, like Sabermetrics. Jason Giambi’s Athletics career is over. But the A’s are just getting started.
Who was baseball commissioner Bud Selig? What was his role in Moneyball? Baseball commissioner Bud Selig attempted to hold meetings about the cash disparity between teams, known as The Selig Commission. Billy Beane speaks on behalf of the strapped Oakland A’s, but he already has another plan in the works: Sabermetrics.