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Book to Big Screen

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Join us for a viewing of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017) [dir. George C. Wolfe] adapted from the novel by Rebecca Skloot. A short discussion comparing the film and book will follow.

A discussion group for people interested in answering the question, "Was the book really better than the movie?" Join us for a viewing of the film The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017) [dir. George C. Wolfe] and a short discussion comparing the book and movie. Pick up a copy of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot to read prior to the movie screening—you can find the novel in our catalog. 

About The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks:
This HBO Films drama tells the true story of Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman whose cells were used to create the first immortal human cell line, known as HeLa. Told primarily through the eyes of Lack’s daughter Deborah (Oprah Winfrey) and journalist Rebecca Skloot (Rose Byrne), the film chronicles Deborah’s search to learn about the mother she never knew, and to understand how the unauthorized harvesting of Lacks’ cancerous cells in 1951 led to unprecedented medical breakthroughs, from cancer to polio to radiation to AIDS, changing countless lives and the face of medicine forever. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a story of medical arrogance and triumph, race, poverty, and deep friendship between the unlikeliest of people.

Rated TV-MA | 2017 | Biography/Drama/History/Mystery | 93 minutes. The movie will be shown with closed-captions. 

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