The World's Best Book Summaries
Who is Edward Joseph Snowden? What did Eddie Snowden do to be thrust into the public eye? How he end up living in Russia? Edward Joseph Snowden is a former US government employee that blew the whistle on mass surveillance. He is from a family of public servants. Read more about Edward Joseph Snowden and how his early life shaped his career and eventual decision to blow the whistle.
How big is Henrietta Lacks’ family? When researching her book, did Rebecca Skloot talk to many members of the HeLa family? Does the Lacks family still live in Clover, Virginia? Henrietta Lacks’ family is a large one with many cousins. Her mom gave birth to ten children, including Henrietta and her sister Gladys Pleasant Lacks. Learn more about some of Henrietta Lacks’ family members.
Who is Edward Snowden the whistleblower? What did Snowden share? What resulted from the Snowden whistleblowing event? Edward Snowden is a whistleblower who revealed the existence of STELLARWIND, the US government’s mass surveillance program. Learn more about Edward Snowden, whistleblower and former government employee with a high security clearance.
What happened to the Lacks children after their mother died? Why did Ethel Lacks and Galen Lacks move in? How did their presence change the lives of the Lacks children? Ethel Lacks was the wife of Galen Lacks. The two of them moved in with the Lacks family after Henrietta died. Galen was Henrietta’s cousin. Read more about Ethel Lacks and her husband, including their abuse of the children.
How did HeLa cells become such an important part of scientific development and discoveries? Who was the doctor that turned the tissue from Henrietta Lacks into the HeLa cells? What did Dr. George Gey gain from his efforts? George Otto Gey was a tissue researcher at Johns Hopkins when Henrietta Lacks was a patient. He made a deal with Lacks’ surgeon to use her tissue to make lasting cells. Learn more about Dr. George Gey, HeLa, and how his discovery impacted his life.
How did Edward Snowden start working for the CIA? Was the CIA Snowden’s top choice for government work? How did his time at the CIA influence his future leak? For Edward Snowden, CIA work was another opportunity for public service. At the CIA, Snowden could use his technical skills to help the country. Read more about Edward Snowden, CIA roles, and how the TISO program works.
Who was the middle son of Henrietta Lacks’ children? What was David Lacks, Jr. like after his mother passed? How did the man also known as Sonny Lacks feel about the use of HeLa cells? David Lacks, Jr. is better known as Sonny. He is the third of five children Henrietta Lacks had before she died in 1951. Learn about the life of Sonny Lacks, including why he finally gave in and agreed to meet Rebecca Skloot to talk about his mother.
Who is Christoph Lengauer? How did he use HeLa cells to pain other cells? How did the family of Henrietta Lacks feel about Dr. Lengauer contacting them? Christoph Lengauer is a scientist that created a method that revealed more parts of the DNA in a chromosome. The technique used HeLa cells to “paint” with fluorescent dye. Learn about Christoph Lengauer, Henrietta Lacks’ cells, and the revolutionary technique.
Who was Henrietta Lacks’s husband? How did she end up marrying her cousin, David “Day” Lacks? What happened to David Lacks Sr. after she passed? David Day Lacks was the husband and first cousin of Henrietta Lacks. Together, she and David Lacks Sr. had five children. Find out about David Day Lacks and his life with and after Henrietta Lacks.
How did a science journalist from Illinois and a poor woman from Baltimore become friends? How did Rebecca Skloot and Deborah Lacks meet? What was the relationship between the two women like? Rebecca Skloot and Deborah Lacks met while Skloot was researching Deborah’s mother, Henrietta Lacks. The two women became friends, despite an age gap of more than 20 years. Read about their relationship, including some paranoia that made things tense at times.