February/March Read - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

For the month of February and March, Lina chose the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

This book is going to be something a little different from the genres I usually read - I usually stray away from science and medical stuff, never keeps my interest - but after reading the reviews and synopsis about the book I am looking forward to it. It is much more than science and medical stuff. It further discusses how her family was impacted upon discovering Henrietta's cells being used and their stories, which for me would probably be more the interesting parts that will make me want to further read.

The Alchemist

As I begin this review, I must say that this is not the first time I’ve read this wonderful book. Its actually the third. Believe it or not, I learn more and more from this book each time I read it. I’m a lover of all things magical and fantastical, so this story was easy for me to get into. But more than that, it serves as an inspiration to adhere to my destiny, a restoration of my faith in the most high, and an assurance of the power of love. What about it is most inspiring to me? Everything about this book inspires me. The way Santiago has doubts throughout following his destiny lets us realize that its our human nature to be doubtful but not to let fear and doubt stop us. That I must listen to my heart first (the logical thinker in me screams at this...lol). That you must know that nothing desired will come without work. That you can create the life you want, and all the things in it. So let us dive in.

The Alchemist is a story of a lowly shepherd who after a recurring dream decides to go on a quest to find a hidden treasure. He meets people along the way, and eventually learns alchemy. Alchemy in its simplest form is a way to turn lead into gold. That, enough for me, is a reason to pick it up. Plus, its not a complicated read nor an immense volume of work. Its simple. Yet, you find yourself pausing throughout the book because of all the thoughts, similarities and lessons you learn. There are questions in the back of most copies, so we thought we’d use those as a guide for this review, but before I get into that, I’d like to produce some quotes that really stood out to me.

“And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

How much do we believe in this statement? Do we really look to the universe to provide us with the means to achieve our greatest goals? I’ll give you an example. About a year ago, frustrated with my current living situation, I stumbled upon an ad in Craigslist for a loft apartment. I scheduled an appointment to view it. When I got there, it was the smallest little apartment ever, and I thought, “There no way I can fit all my stuff in here.” I thanked her for her time and made my way back to my car. As I was leaving she said, “Well, I have another apartment that just became available about three days ago. Its not really ready for viewing, but if you want to see it, I’ll show you.” I walked into the apartment and immediately feel in love. Hardwoods, giant fireplaces, 16ft ceilings, tons of space. It was a dream come true. Plus, it was in a neighborhood that I’d always wanted to live in. The universe helped me into something I wanted, because I truly wanted it.

“Here I am between my flock and my treasure.”

This is common, and I know we’ve all been here at some point. The place where you are dissatisfied with life but not uncomfortable enough to change it. Or it could be that there are certain responsibilities you cant forgo in order to pursue your life’s dream. Its so common a lot of people never reach their full potential because of it.

“The boy wanted to believe that his friend had simply become separated from him by accident.”

“In his pursuit of the dream, he was being constantly subjected to tests of his persistence and courage.”

Questions:

When he talked about the pilgrimage to Mecca, the crystal merchant argued that having a dream is more important than fulfilling it, which is what Santiago was trying to do. Do you agree with Santiago's rationale or crystal merchant's?

There is an excellent quote that sums up the man’s idea as to why he will never go to Mecca: “Im afraid if my dream is realized, I’ll have no reason to go on living.” Dreams of exotic places, being famous, an author, a millionaire are all dreams that many of us have. Often though, the fear that there will be nothing else to live for keeps us from achieving these very same dreams that are the foremost desires of our hearts. We think, “If I do this, whats left to do?” However, of all the people we know who’ve achieved their dreams, whats one thing common to them? They make more dreams, they realize more dreams. There is always more to live for, because the mind keeps growing, keeps dreaming, keeps achieving.

What is a "Personal Legend?" How does one find their own Personal Legend? What is your own Personal Legend?

A legend can be many things. It can be the story of, as the old folks say, how I got over. It can also be a road map to guide us. It can be a lie we tell ourselves to get through life’s harder times. In this instance, I’ll say our personal legend is both the road map and the story of overcoming. It can define who we are, at the very core, and guide others into seeing who we really are.

Santiago is repeatedly encouraged to read signs and omens/ What do signs and omens have to do with his quest? How are they related to the "universal language?" What kinds of signs and omens have you experienced in your life?

In my own life, I’ve seen many signs and omens, both good and bad, that have encouraged me to go in a certain direction. I’ve faulted myself in the past for not listening to them, but even then I’ve come to learn great lessons. They are related in that when we actively listen to them, the universe is really helping us out. In Santiago’s journey, his learning to see the omens helped him to ultimately achieve his goals.

“Dreams are the language of God,” says the gypsy woman. What might she mean
by this?

In my opinion, our dreams are our subconscious helping us to see forthcoming danger, solving problems and promote our personal dreams and goals. This is unique to everyone, but if God resides within us, can not he reach us most when our inner most mind and heart are in peace and conjunction?

What aspects of the story are the most relevant to you? Has reading this novel changes the way you see your own life? How?

Since is clearly my very personal review of the book, I’ll leave this one for you to comment on. But I will say that I am once again inspired by all this book has to offer, and I hope that reading it will provide you with one of the many lessons in this book.

I hope you guys have enjoyed my review and I look forward to reading your comments. If you’d like to read more like this, I’d suggest The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield.

Current Read: The Alchemist

The Booke Nooke is currently "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho.

Lina will be posting a book review along with her answers to guided questions on the blog mid-month to "The Alchemist". Comment on her review and jump in with your own opinions and answers to the guided questions. If you have your own questions you want to throw out there, feel free to do so as well.

Shade

Shade: An Anthology of Fiction by Gay Men of African Descent

“Shade” is an interesting look at black men and where they fit in the wider scope of gay culture. There are both upsides and downsides to reading an anthology; one upside being that it’s like a buffet of literature in that you can sample a generous amount of offerings and focus on what you really like. One downside some find about anthologies is that just when you’re getting into the story, it’s over too quickly. On the upside you can easily pick your favourite authors and search out more of their work based on their pieces in an anthology. I decided to focus on several stories that I really found quite interesting.

“Powers that be” by L. Phillip Richardson:

This story focuses on George a young black male living in NYC. He frequents sexbooths and gets high while he’s there. Feeling down and depressed about a recent job interview that didn’t go well; George decides to go to burger for a large fry and coke. While dining He meets Bill; a Southern gentleman in NYC for school and work. The two instantly hit it off (based on their common interest in comic books) and decide to meet again the next night at a local club. After parting for the evening, George goes back to the sexbooths and arranges a sexual liaison (for compensation) with a young white male named Mark. Things go left and it’s alleged that George stole money from Mark. The next night George and Bill meet up for a drink, when none other than Mark comes bounding through the club screaming about George stealing money from him for a trick. The two start fighting and the piece is left with George back at the sexbooths wanting to get high.

I liked this entry because it didn’t focus on George as a drug-addict; it showed him as a normal person who happened to use drugs. One can surmise from the tone of the story that the author wants to get across the point that drugs can ruin even the most promising of relationships. Bill had gone to graduate school and had a good job; George however was living with his aunt/uncle in their home and scrounging for bus fair. YET, Bill saw something in George that he really liked and wanted to know more about. The reader is left to draw their own conclusion as to why these two characters from seemingly opposite “sides of the tracks” wind up taking an interest in each other. I would venture to guess that the author was trying to show that a relationship doesn’t have to be based on a certain parameters set by society, and can oftime be even more powerful/transitive when it’s organic and sprouts from just a basic mutual liking of one another.

“Church” by G. Winston James:

This story follows Langston Ambrose on his souljourn back to the small New Jersey town of his childhood. In this entry Langston is going to a church service at the Baptist church that he grew up in. When the greeting for visitors is announced; Langston stands up and states that he has been away from the church for awhile, but he’s back home. The minister knows him and has seen him grow up, so he asks him what he’s been doing in the 14 or so years since he hasn’t been at the church. Langston tells him that he got a degree in Latin American studies from NYU, has traveled allover the world and lived in places like; Venezuela, Mozambique, Angola, and England. The preacher asks him why he has returned home to their small town and Langston informs him that he has returned home to die. A stunned silence falls over the audience as the pastor asks Langston what he is dying from. Langston replies that he has cancer”. After a bit more of their conversation Langston addresses his mom and tells her that he loves her very much, hearing this, his mom jumps from her seat crying and declaring that “ain’t no AIDS gonna take her baby”. The story ends with the church congregation offering support for Langston and singing spirituals to comfort him and his mother.

This piece really struck a nerve with me in that the main character and I are both from the same denomination, and I understand exactly what it is like to be at a Sunday church service with your church family; the music, the devotional, the sermon, the support and love are unmatched. Langston’s honesty was interesting in a time (the early 90s) when AIDS was considered equal to leprosy. Even still, his church family embraced him and rallied around his family to support him in his fight. Upon reading the story, the reader isn’t made aware that the protagonist is living with AIDS (until the last few pages), but as I read more into the piece and really examined the circumstances, and content it became obvious to me; even before he had announced it himself. One thing I based my opinion on is the fact that he was coming home and going to church with his mom after being away for approximately 14 years. That makes me think that he had experienced some radical shift in his life/living situation/job situation/etc. Additionally when he said Angola I immediately thought about the Cuban soldiers who brought AIDS back to the island of Cuba from Angola throughout the 70s and 80s. (Along with the European sex tourists who still frequent the Caribbean island). Since he had visited Angola I thought he might have been exposed to the virus there.