tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post1994704833695959949..comments2024-03-29T05:03:05.347+02:00Comments on Dispatches from Vilnius: The Way of All FleshJames Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-62427040956502040352010-08-16T20:00:41.416+03:002010-08-16T20:00:41.416+03:00av, the documentary has what the book most lacked,...av, the documentary has what the book most lacked, good production values. The more I read about Skloot's maneuvers to produce a best seller, the less I think of her. On the other hand, probably that kind of behind the scenes activity is involved in every best seller. Even in times of economic adversity, Americans have a lot of disposable income to spend on books like this. (OTH, better Carolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05818522346723485679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-7723089528523495682010-08-16T17:18:10.632+03:002010-08-16T17:18:10.632+03:00Or respect. I think that's the word I was loo...Or respect. I think that's the word I was looking for.avrdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997163948247445009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-56800637925592958222010-08-16T16:42:35.584+03:002010-08-16T16:42:35.584+03:00Carol, glad you watched that! Wasn't it fasci...Carol, glad you watched that! Wasn't it fascinating?! <br /><br />What it did for me is confirm my intuition about the Lacks family -- that they weren't some sort of ignorant low lifes as Skloot suggests in the way she writes about them. <br /><br />I'll have to go back now and see what Skloot says about the documentary. Taken with the Landecker journal article, you can see the avrdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997163948247445009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-29402373236449438602010-08-16T09:40:39.253+03:002010-08-16T09:40:39.253+03:00I would say the way the Lacks family has been char...I would say the way the Lacks family has been characterized is what annoyed me most about the book. The funny part is reading Skloot describe the documentary. Of course, she had access to the raw footage, but Deborah didn't come across the way she described her at all, and I don't think that was just editing.James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-91102717879471861352010-08-16T08:50:27.165+03:002010-08-16T08:50:27.165+03:00Gintaras, I didn't want our conversation on th...Gintaras, I didn't want our conversation on the HeLa cells, et al. to end without thanking you for finding and posting the link to this documentary. It showed Deborah Lacks as a confident self-assured person, hurt by the absences in her life, but not silly as she often seems in the book. I wish more people could see it. Again, thanks.Carolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05818522346723485679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-51274889623712956832010-08-11T00:38:10.339+03:002010-08-11T00:38:10.339+03:00WOW! Thanks, Gintaras. What a film. Highly reco...WOW! Thanks, Gintaras. What a film. Highly recommend it after reading the book.avrdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997163948247445009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-88204004552541218282010-08-09T16:36:35.186+03:002010-08-09T16:36:35.186+03:00And I get the impression that she wants to make mo...And I get the impression that she wants to make more of her friendship with the daughter and the family than was there. They didn't even notify her of Deborah's death.<br /><br />Again, this book seems more about Skloot, starting with her being so smart in biology at 16, and less about the real people involved. <br /><br />Still, it's turned out to be a great book to discuss!avrdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997163948247445009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-16988770416282072682010-08-09T10:46:07.905+03:002010-08-09T10:46:07.905+03:00The short interviews with the Lacks family in 1997...The short interviews with the Lacks family in 1997 give a very different impression than the one Skloot left in her book. They seemed very congenial, not the remote family Skloot described. Seems to me that they felt they had said all they had to say on the subject by the time Rebecca came around.James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-36224791145049774842010-08-09T10:25:55.872+03:002010-08-09T10:25:55.872+03:00I also found that Rogers did a follow-up book, Bio...I also found that Rogers did a follow-up book, Biohazard, published in 1977, that goes deeper into the biotech industry. Unable to find a review of any kind on the book, but it is available for cheap through Abebooks and other sources. Rogers is now a Futurist.James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.com