THE BIG READ: COASTAL
CAROLINA UNIVERSITY'S SUMMER READING PROGRAM
BIG READ Program’s Mission, Purpose and Goals
2011 Big Read The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By: Rebecca Skloot
From the very beginning there was something uncanny about the cancer cells on Henrietta Lacks's cervix. Even before killing Lacks herself in 1951, they took on a life of their own. Removed during a biopsy and cultured without her permission, the HeLa cells (named from the first two letters of her first and last names) reproduced boisterously in a lab at Johns Hopkins — the first human cells ever to do so. HeLa became an instant biological celebrity, traveling to research labs all over the world. Meanwhile Lacks, a vivacious 31-year-old African-American who had once been a tobacco farmer, tended her five children and endured scarring radiation treatments in the hospital's "colored" ward.
In "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," Rebecca Skloot introduces us to the "real live woman," the children who survived her, and the interplay of race, poverty, science and one of the most important medical discoveries of the last 100 years. Skloot narrates the science lucidly, tracks the racial politics of medicine thoughtfully and tells the Lacks family's often painful history with grace. She also confronts the spookiness of the cells themselves, intrepidly crossing into the spiritual plane on which the family has come to understand their mother's continued presence in the world. Science writing is often just about "the facts." Skloot's book, her first, is far deeper, braver and more wonderful.(Exerpts taken from the New York Times book review.. To read more of the book review Click Here)
You can also check out www.RebeccaSkloot.com to get more information on The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks and Rebecca Skloot.
Mission:
The mission of the BIG READ program is to unite incoming CCU freshmen in an enjoyable shared learning experience prior to beginning their academic course work.
Purpose:
The program’s purpose is to create a singular introductory learning forum among our students, across various disciplines, and to facilitate creative and critical thinking from the moment they step foot on campus.
Goals:
The goals of this program are to engage students in a singular academic task, encourage the critical thought process, explore themes and ideas relevant to student life, and challenge students to develop and explore multiple perspectives.
BIG READ Committee’s Charge
The charge of the BIG READ committee is to evaluate and select materials each academic year that fulfill the goals of the summer reading program. Members of the committee participate on a volunteer basis and include faculty, staff and students. The committee reviews all materials solicited across campus and makes it’s selections based on a set list of criteria.
