In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I liked this this part, because I think she realized in this moment how important words and poetry can be.
“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning.”
― Maya Angelou, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
#SBBC #CagedBird
“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning.”
― Maya Angelou, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
#SBBC #CagedBird
09:14 PM - Apr 20, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I think the author really wanted to help Deborah & other members of the Lacks family find some closure. I hope Deborah found some peace. I was so happy she was able to see the cells in person. I'm sure not knowing what happened to her mother & Elsie was difficult, so I hope it helped to learn more.
07:57 PM - Mar 23, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
This is my 2nd time reading it. I'd be willing to read it again, but I think it's more likely I would just use it for reference unless it was a book club selection again. There's another book I found about Crownsville I'm adding to my TBR list, but I'm not sure I'm ready to read it just yet.
07:52 PM - Mar 23, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
It's been so many years since I first read it so I don't remember, but I believe I was surprised to hear so many samples are actually stored & used in research rather than just destroyed as medical waste.
She estimated 307 million tissue samples were stored from 178 million people in the US (1999)
She estimated 307 million tissue samples were stored from 178 million people in the US (1999)
04:54 PM - Mar 23, 2024
In response to Pam McSt.
It seems the family opinions do vary. I've never seen this movie & I wonder where the profits went. At least the book sales contribute to a foundation. Five family members were paid consultants, but a couple family members did not want this movie made & take issue with (but didn't read) the book.
bustle.com
What Does The Lacks Family Think Of 'The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks'? The Movie Portrays Their Heartbreaking Story
HBO's new film, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, is, in part, about how Henrietta Lacks was taken advantage of by big industries who made a profit off of her without her consent. But the movie also focuses heavily on Henrietta's now-adult…
04:10 PM - Mar 23, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I thought it was an interesting blend of scientific information and a personal story about a family. Hopefully that made it more accessible for most people. If someone was only looking for science, then maybe they would be disappointed though. I feel like it made me think a lot about ethics.
03:04 PM - Mar 23, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I think it was better before they were doing this. Freely sharing in the name of scientific research & helping people would be better for those whose cells / tissue is being used and for advances in science and medicine in general. I wish others thought like Jonas Salk did about the polio vaccine.
03:01 PM - Mar 23, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
Generally, yes, based on what Deborah said about knowing "there'll be good and bad" in telling the Lacks story, but maybe some things could have been left out and maybe not all family members would agree. Deborah also asked her to leave a word out of the book, and she did not include that word.
02:52 PM - Mar 23, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
Yes, I definitely recommend this book. This is actually the 2nd time I've read it, but the first time was about 9 or 10 years ago so I had forgotten some details.
02:46 PM - Mar 23, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I could relate to Esperanza wanting a space of her own, her love of trees and sky--especially if feeling sad, and generally coming of age learning from the women in her life. Also some of the girls experiencing abuse and controlling relationships, but learning to avoid that after my teen years.
03:43 PM - Jan 20, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I think you can tell that she is primarily a poet, but she wanted to write a novel that blurs some of the lines between poetry and prose. I just realized it's one more thing that fits in with some of the dual identity themes throughout the book.
03:41 PM - Jan 20, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I actually looked up what I could find about Sandra Cisneros' real neighborhood. Unfortunately the house on N Campbell Ave was torn down in 2004, but there's one across the street that was really similar so I was able to get an idea of how the house and street looked.
03:38 PM - Jan 20, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
There was definitely a lot of focus on controlling males--fathers, husbands, co-workers, and boys her own age. Esperanza really wanted to escape having to experience this, but didn't escape it entirely.
03:35 PM - Jan 20, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I haven't read any of her other works. I'm not sure if I will since my TBR pile is enormous, but I wouldn't mind reading one I just saw referenced in an old PBS Newshour interview I found about her life and her search for home.
03:33 PM - Jan 20, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I did like the one you have in the image above. It made me smile at the end of the section when she said "…and I'll be happy." I also laughed in Edna's Ruthie when she said, "…and it was a nice duck too." even though most of the section was sad.
03:30 PM - Jan 20, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I was sad about some of the abuse and controlling relationships, so there were a few chapters since several characters experienced those things.
03:27 PM - Jan 20, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I guess the short sections would make it easier to read even for those who rarely read. I think there is enough symbolism and descriptive language used to make it interesting for regular readers too.
03:26 PM - Jan 20, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I didn't mind it for this story, but I wouldn't want every book I read to be formatted this way. It probably fit well for this book. It was like looking through little windows into their lives or piecing snapshots together to get a sense of the people.
03:24 PM - Jan 20, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
Some characters seem to assimilate more than others. Some resisted any assimilation (e.g. Mamacita), but most seemed to struggle to balance dual identities. Being (or becoming) American and also belonging to and continuing their ethnic heritage and culture.
03:22 PM - Jan 20, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I don't think anything justifies bans, so sometimes it's hard for me to answer questions about the reasons books are being banned. Individuals might object to reading about (or their children) reading some of the abuse in it though.
03:19 PM - Jan 20, 2024
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I actually had to start chapter one a second time. I'm not sure how much of it was that it wasn't grabbing me, if I had too many distractions at the time, or if I just had a book hangover. Sometimes transitioning to a new book is hard. I ended up liking the book a lot after coming back to it.
11:52 AM - Dec 16, 2023
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
That's ok! Thanks for the clarification! 😊
01:08 PM - Nov 16, 2023
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
I was about to set up reminders for myself, but I realized that I need to confirm the discussion dates first. Are the dates on the most recent spout the correct dates? Will January be on 1/20 or 1/24? And February on 2/17 or 2/24?
11:32 AM - Nov 16, 2023
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
Yes, in some ways it made me more interested in it since his personal experiences in different schools and in different parts of the country were interesting to me. I appreciated his self-reflection. At the same time, I think I hoped for more from an academic perspective too.
09:16 PM - Nov 11, 2023
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
Generally yes, but I don't see why we can't attempt both.
I do agree policy changes are most important though, and that we don't have to wait for minds to change.
I do agree policy changes are most important though, and that we don't have to wait for minds to change.
08:23 PM - Nov 11, 2023
In response to Spoutible Banned Book Club.
Not exactly, but I hadn't thought about colorism a lot. The section on color reminded that I know an elderly woman who said she feared her great-grandchildren experiencing colorism due to being biracial. She's very light skinned, & I think she was treated as not black enough when she was young.
08:19 PM - Nov 11, 2023
In response to Read aBannedBook.
😂 I can't remember, but I think my choice has only been the result once or twice so far, but I'm usually ok with any of them & I often have trouble making a choice with each poll. Sometimes I'm only hoping for a certain book because I already have a copy or I've been meaning to read it for a while.
03:58 PM - Oct 29, 2023
