The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

It beggars belief to learn that once your cells leave your body, you are considered to have voluntarily given them up and they no longer belong to you.  This is as true to day as it was in 1951, when Henrietta Lacks, a poor young Afro-American woman was admitted to a hospital in Baltimore with an exceptionally invasive and aggressive form of cancer.

A biopsy was taken of these cells without her knowledge or consent.  At this time, human tissue culture was in its infancy and researchers struggled to keep the cells alive.  Yet, they found that Henrietta's cells not only lived, but thrived and multiplied and seemed nigh impossible to kill.  Soon, these cells, named 'HeLa' were being used in medical research experiments worldwide, and became big business.

In this book, Rebecca Skloot aims to tell the personal story of Henrietta, her life of poverty, her illness and death, and the way her death has contributed to huge advances in science.  She talks to the people who knew Henrietta, and to her family who were initially hostile and suspicious of her motives.  Despite the fortunes that Henrietta's cells made for those who controlled them, her family never received a penny and remained unable to afford healthcare.  The story exposes the racism and hypocrisy of the medical industry of that time.  Despite being a science book, it is very accessible and easy to understand and reads more like a fiction novel.  It is a book that enrages and inspires, and I recommend it to all.

The Various Flavours of Coffee by Anthony Capella

Review
When it comes to coffee, I admit that I'm a bit of a Philistine.  I hate cappuccino, espresso, latte and all that Italian muck that has taken over coffee shops worldwide.  Given the choice, I'm much happier with a decent filter coffee, and happier still with a mug of plain old Nescafe.  I can't resist my local newsagent's bargain price and don't care that the jar may be written in Russian or Arabic.

Despite my unrefined tastes, I was drawn to the idea in Anthony Capella's novel of being able to define coffee its aromas and tastes.  The main character Wallis is pretty much blackmailed into working for Pinker's coffee shop, where he soon sets his sights on the owner's daughter, Emily and her father's money.  She accepts his proposal but before they can wed, Wallis is sent away to Africa to start a coffee plantation (a shrewd move by her father who hopes the playboy will be out of sight and out of mind there).  Once in Africa, Wallis promptly falls for a slave girl.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but this is a really fun, rollicking good read, frequently bawdy, and gives a flavour of life in Edwardian London as well as colonial Africa.  It is also interwoven with politics - Emily despite marrying a Liberal MP, is an active member of the Suffragettes.

Make yourself a cup of your favourite coffee, sit down and get stuck in.  You're in for a treat.

Why can't we have a decent book review series?

Programmes about books are few and far between, but this year promises to be a treat for book lovers as the BBC are running several series to celebrate The Year of the Book.  So far, I have especially enjoyed "The Beauty of Books", and not surprisingly my favourite episode covered children's illustration especially the many artists of one of my favourite books, Alice in Wonderland.

There are regular programmes that review new films, and countless digital stations dedicated to music of all genres, but we are seriously lacking a regular television programme that discusses and reviews new books.  The few book programmes there are, by and large, are made on shoestring budgets, with dire and unenticing graphics, and appalling sets (a few shabby sofas and a coffee table).  Yet, we read and buy books in their millions every year.  Don't we therefore deserve something more?  As a license payer, why should I continue to fund other people' sporting obsessions when my desire for an intelligent and long-running book programme goes ignored?

It is in recognition and celebration of the Year of the Book, that I am reviving "The Bookworm Reads."   Whereas previously I have reviewed mainly independently published children's picture books, from now on I will be reviewing every book that I read and in between, reviewing and commenting on books that have inspired and moved me in the past.

Please come back tomorrow for a review of "The Various Flavours of Coffee" by Anthony Capella.

The Great Snowball Escapade - Jan D Holiday

Review

Wilhelmina has had a rotten Christmas, thanks to her mean cousin Bud coming to stay. Things don’t get any better when she returns to school – not only is Bud in the same class, but she has to sit next to him! Bud is the school bully. He dictates who is allowed to play and where, he fights with Wil and her friends, deliberately gets her into trouble with teachers and her Mum, and there is no getting away from him because now he lives in her home!

Bud’s parents are going through a divorce, and Wil’s Mum encourages her to be understanding and nice to Bud, but that’s not easy when he’s so mean.

“The Great Snowball Escapade” has a believable and likeable heroine and children will easily identify with her and the situations she finds herself in. The book is effectively illustrated throughout with simple line-drawings.

Do Bud and Wil finally sort out their differences? You’ll just have to read the book to find out.

Buy from Amazon

Interview with Jan D Holiday, Author & Illustrator

How did you get started?

In 1983 I started writing seriously when a friend asked me to read a few pages from a historical romance she was writing. I told her what I thought about it and she asked me to help her write the book. We did finish it and sent it to an agent who was kind and sent the manuscript back with a detailed account of what was wrong with it - and there was plenty wrong with it! My friend went on to other things while I found that I loved writing and did not want to stop.

Did you always want to be an author?

No, I didn't. My father was a writer too. He wrote every weekend for as long as I can remember, though I never thought of writing myself when he was alive, apart from one rainy day in sixth grade which I spent writing a story and enjoyed doing so. But I was so self-conscioius about my spelling difficulties that I didn't think I could write seriously.

What type of stories do you write and how many books have you written?

I have written many short stories which I like writing. They are quick to write and I find it fun to compact everything into one small story that can stand on its own. I have found that my love is writing children's stories and doing the illustrations myself. I have ten stories written that need illustrations and two are teen novels that are yet unfinished. I have two published books so far.

How do you know that an idea is worth following?

I don't know. I just start working on a project and researching the topics I need to know about to write the story and in most cases, I finish it.

How do you create your characters?

I really can't say. They just come to me and none of them are based on people I know.

How long does it take you to write and illustrate a book?

That always depends on what is going on around me. As I said earlier, most of my stories I wrote a while ago, but I think most of them took a few months and even up to eight months for the longer stories.

My newly published book, The Great Snowball Escapade, is a chapter book for 6 to 8 year olds which I wrote in 1989. I just finished the illustrations which took about 6 months fitting them in around my family, work, cooking and pets (who all come first).

Have you had any formal art training?

Not really, although I had art for 4 years in high school and have taken many art classes along the way.

What's the hardest thing for you to draw?

People. I have to study faces for a long time and even then I might get them wrong.

Do you have any hobbies that you like to do besides writing?

Yes, I love reading, drawing and painting, and I play a little piano (very little) and gardening. I enjoy making things grow. I have found that hobbies can take me out of my problems. Sometimes you need to stop thinking about your problems to get perspective on them. Hobbies can do that.

What are you working on right now?

I have just finished The Great Snowball Escapade and will be starting paintings for another of my stories soon. It is a story about a boy who wants a puppy but gets a dog that is older. It's what they do together that makes them pals.

Do you have a website and a place where readers can purchase your books?

Yes. My website is Book Garden Publishing and both my children's books, Janoose the Goose and The Great Snowball Escapade can be bought at Amazon and B&N, as well as ordered in many bookstores.

If you could give one piece of advice to every new writer, what would it be?

The best advice I can give is what I was told by writers and English professors I have met. Edit, edit and re-edit. Editing is one thing authors must take seriously, never overlooking its importance.

Please call back in a few days time for a review of Jan's latest book.

The Cloud Seekers by Robert L Calixto

Review

As a child, I frequently saw pictures and faces in the fire, cracks in the ceiling, and the garish 1960's patterned wallpaper or curtains. So, it is easy for me to identify with the Cloud Seekers.

The book encourages children to look beyond the obvious and to use their imagination. The story is simply written and easy to read for beginners.

Illustrator, Russel Wayne, has done a great job at depicting the six culturally diverse friends and there is likely to be a character that each child will identify with - whether they are an animal lover or a lover of biscuits! The images in the clouds are recognisable whilst still remaining 'cloud-like.'

The book opens up possiblities of discussing types of clouds (I was always fascinated with the different names and trying to identify the different kinds) and how clouds are formed so could be used as part of such a lesson.

Available from Halo Publishing

The Bookworm Reads: Interview with Robert L. Calixto - Author and Dreamer

The Bookworm Reads: Interview with Robert L. Calixto - Author and Dreamer