Archive for January, 2011

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Find it at the library: RC265.6.L24 S55 2010

Imagine your cells as the key factor in the development of the polio vaccine, treatments for AIDS, and many other medical discoveries, but your family had no idea and neither did you. That was what happened with Henrietta Lacks.

Scientists know her as HeLa. Her cells and the cells of many other cancer patients were collected without their knowledge in the “colored” ward of John Hopkins in the 1950s. All of those collected cells died, except for Henrietta’s; her’s grew, multiplied, and continue to multiply today – 60 years after her death. At first the cells were sent from one scientist to another in small vials, but soon, they were produced and shipped in mass to scientists around the world for experiments. Her family had no idea. It was not until years later when the identify of HeLa cells were revealed as belonging to a poor black woman who lived in the south named Henrietta Lacks, that her family knew about their existence. Journalists, filmmakers, book writers, and everybody wanted to know who she was and what made her cells “immortal”.

Rebecca Skloot, like the others, wanted to know more about the woman behind the cells, “what kind of life she led, what happened to her children, and what she’d think about cells from her cervix living on forever” (p. 2). We follow Skloot in her book to discover the answer to these questions and more. Her book describes to us with details of how she went from wondering about this person in college, to reading about and contacting people who knew the family in Lacks Town (Virgina), and hoe she finally uncovered the story from people who longer trusted anyone asking about HeLa. Although her story is mostly chronological, Skloot switches back and forth between her story to find the answers and Henrietta’s life and story. She describes every detail, making the story even more fascinating: the method and intervals of Radium used to try to treat Henrietta’s cancer, George Gey’s impeccably clean lab and inventions, and physical and personal descriptions of family members. All of these details were interwoven with historical and contextual information, and tidbits about the key characters: their personalities, interests, and quirks.

The story of Henrietta and her cells have been a key factor in our society learning more about illnesses and diseases, and they will be as long as her cells continue to reproduce and multiply. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is scientific, historical, genealogical, sociological, anthropological … and just darn good! It is an interesting, unforgettable, and a must-read for everyone.

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Apprehension Recent violent incidents on local high school campuses and the mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona are traumatic and unnerving to most of us. Although CLU and Thousand Oaks are considered very safe communities, being cautious is always wise. Here are some campus resources to help keep you safe at CLU: The Campus Public Safety department offers tips and contact information for reporting threats and incidents. The site also includes  current campus crime data. Add the Campus Public Safety emergency number to your cell phone or mobile device: (805) 493-3911. For non-emergencies call: (805) 493-3208. The Campus Conduct Hotline is designed to minimize any apprehension you may have and make it possible for you to report concerns about issues or behaviors that pose a risk to CLU or its students, staff, or faculty. Campus Public Safety. Other campus sources for confidential help include:  Campus Life, Campus Ministry, Student Counseling Services, and Health Services. For objective research on crime, the gun control debate, or perspectives on mental health, start with the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. The Criminal Justice research guide will also lead you to databases, Web sites, and sources for statistical data.

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Moon Over Manifest Did you know? The Newbery Medal is the world’s first and oldest children’s book award. It has been handed out annually by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a branch of the American Library Association (ALA), since 1922. Any book published in America for children can be nominated during the first year of its publication. Chances are you have read at least some medal winners of the past. Particularly famous titles of past medal winners include  Adam of the Road, Johnny Tremain, Strawberry Girl, King of the Wind, Island of the Blue Dolphins, A Wrinkle in Time, Bridge of Terabithia, and The Giver. The 2011 Newbury Medal winner is Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool.

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

After a life of riding the rails with her father, 12-year-old Abilene can’t understand why he has sent her away to stay with Pastor Shady Howard in Manifest, Missouri, a town he left years earlier; but over the summer she pieces together his story. In 1936, Manifest is a town worn down by sadness, drought, and the Depression, but it is more welcoming to newcomers than it was in 1918, when it was a conglomeration of coal-mining immigrants who were kept apart by habit, company practice, and prejudice. Abilene quickly finds friends and uncovers a local mystery. Their summer long “spy hunt” reveals deep-seated secrets and helps restore residents’ faith in the bright future once promised on the town’s sign. Abilene’s first-person narrative is intertwined with newspaper columns from 1917 to 1918 and stories told by a diviner, Miss Sadie, while letters home from a soldier fighting in WWI add yet another narrative layer. Vanderpool weaves humor and sorrow into a complex tale involving murders, orphans, bootlegging, and a mother in hiding.*

Moon Over Manifest will soon be added to CLU’s Newbury Medal winner collection which can be located in the juvenile children’s section. This collection holds a number of other past Newbury Medal winners, Caldecott winners, and a number of other fine books for young readers.

* This description and cover has been taken from amazon.com and may have been edited.

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What is your new years resolution? Every year, millions of people commit themselves to some sort of lifestyle-improvement plan for the upcoming year. Resolutions can include getting out of debt, finding a new (better) job, and working harder for better grades. The most popular new years resolution is (of course) to get fit, including exercise more, quit smoking, drink less alcohol, or eat better. The library has tons of resources to help you keep your new years resolutions and improve your life.

Here’s a “taste” as to what books and eBooks you can check out:
Natural foods cookbook by Beatrice Trum Hunter (find in the library: TX715 .H899)
Exercise: A Program You Can Live With published by Harvard Health Publications (an eBook)
Essentials of strength training and conditioning with Editors: Thomas R. Baechle, Roger W. Earle (REF GV711.5 .E88 2008)
Nutrition : concepts and controversies by Frances Sizer Webb (REF QP141 .S5365 2008)
Healthy Eating: A Guide to the New Nutrition published by Harvard Health Publications (an eBook)
101 Championship Baseball Drills by Glenn Cecchini (eBook)

Databases are great also.  Ever wonder if a Nintendo Wii actually works as a good form of exercise? SportsDiscus Full Text, a comprehensive database covering the topics of physical fitness, sports medicine, physical education, kinesiology, training, nutrition, and much more, can help you answer that question. A keyword search for “Wii and exercise” came up with 34 results. One article by the American Council of Exercise’s (ACE’s) study on the health advantages of playing Wii Sport. The study concluded that by playing Wii Sport calories were “expended due to increased heart rate, oxygen intake and exertion. The energy expenditure per 30 minutes included 216 for boxing, 159 for tennis and 135 for bowling. However, chief science officer Cedric X. Bryant concludes that there is no replace for the real sport.” However, many studies also mention that playing active video games can play a role in maintaining or losing body weight. Basically: some exercise is better than no exercise.

Don’t be part of the 88% of people whose new years resolutions end in failure. Let the Pearson Library provide you with resources to help you achieve your new years resolution to get fit and live healthy.

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