Rebecca Skloot Explained

Rebecca Skloot
Birth Name:Rebecca Lee Skloot[1]
Birth Place:Springfield, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation:Science writer
Alma Mater:Portland Community College
Colorado State University (BS)
University of Pittsburgh (MFA)
Notablework:The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Spouses:-->
Partners:-->
Relatives:Floyd Skloot, father

Rebecca L. Skloot (born September 19, 1972) is an American science writer who specializes in science and medicine.[2] Her first book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2010), was one of the best-selling new books of 2010, staying on The New York Times Bestseller list for over 6 years and eventually reaching #1.[3] It was adapted into a movie by George C. Wolfe, which premiered on HBO on April 22, 2017, and starred Rose Byrne as Skloot, and Oprah Winfrey as Lacks's daughter Deborah.[4]

Early life and education

Rebecca was born in Springfield, Illinois. She is the daughter of poet, novelist, and essayist Floyd Skloot and Betsy McCarthy, a professional knitter and pattern book author. Skloot said, "in the Pacific Northwest, [her] roots [are] half New York Jew and half Midwestern Protestant."[5] She received her high school diploma from Metropolitan Learning Center in Portland, Oregon. After attending Portland Community College and becoming a Veterinary Technician, she received a B.S. in biological sciences from Colorado State University, and an MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a former vice president of the National Book Critics Circle.

Career

She has taught creative writing and science journalism at the University of Pittsburgh, New York University, and the University of Memphis.[6]

Skloot has published over 200 featured stories and essays. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, , Discover, and New York magazine.[7] Skloot is also a contributing editor at Popular Science and has worked as a correspondent for NPR's Radiolab and PBS's NOVA scienceNOW.

Her first book, the #1 New York Times bestselling The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2010),[8] is about Henrietta Lacks and the immortal cell line (known as HeLa) that came from her cancer cells in 1951. It was named a New York Times notable book, and selected as the best book of the year by more than 60 publications. It was made into an HBO film produced by Oprah Winfrey and Alan Ball[9] with Rose Byrne portraying Skloot.[10]

In reviewing the book, Karen Long quotes Skloot and describes the long process to find a publisher: "The Lackses challenged everything I thought I knew about faith, science, journalism, and race," Skloot writes in her prologue. Stubbornly, she put a decade into telling this story, learning as much from the family as she was able to dig up herself. The book went through three publishing houses and four editors."[11] Skloot and Henrietta's daughter Deborah formed a link in the writing of this book, which Deborah sees as her mother's hand guiding them.

Her second book, exploring the science and ethics of human–animal relationships, was put under contract with Crown Publishing Group in 2011.[12] [13] Her past work with animals in shelters, as a vet tech, in research facilities, and at an animal morgue prompted her interest in the ethical controversies surrounding animal use for science.[14] She discussed the topics of the book at the Chicago Humanities Festival in 2013.[15] She spoke with researchers at Harvard University about it in 2015.[16]

Awards and honors

Memberships

Publications

Books

Select articles

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series: Skloot, Floyd 1947- . Encyclopedia.com . 2009 . 5 July 2017 .
  2. Jessica Teisch, "Floyd Skloot & Rebecca Skloot", in Bookmarks, May/June 2010.
  3. News: Best Sellers: Paperback Nonfiction: Sunday, June 10th 2012. June 10, 2012. The New York Times. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303203203/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407E4DF133EF933A25755C0A9649D8B63. 2016-03-03. live. 2017-01-23.
  4. Web site: Oprah and Alan Ball to Make Film of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks for HBO. rebeccaskloot.com. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20161107151607/http://rebeccaskloot.com/2010/05/oprah-and-alan-ball-to-make-film-of-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks-for-hbo/. 2016-11-07. live. 2017-01-24.
  5. Web site: The Making of a Bestseller: Rebecca Skloot and a Great Obsession. Lopez Torregrosa. Luisita. https://web.archive.org/web/20100328121526/http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/03/27/the-making-of-a-best-seller-rebecca-skloot-and-a-great-obsessio/. 2010-03-28. dead. Politics Daily. August 16, 2013.
  6. Web site: Rebecca Skloot profile . University of Memphis

    Department of English

    . March 17, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100325165643/http://www.memphis.edu/english/bios/skloot.htm . March 25, 2010 . mdy-all .
  7. Web site: Official Website: Bio . RebeccaSkloot.com . Being Wicked . March 17, 2010.
  8. News: New York Times Best Sellers 2010: Hardcover Nonfiction . New York Times . 5 July 2017.
  9. http://rebeccaskloot.com/2010/05/oprah-and-alan-ball-to-make-film-of-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks-for-hbo/ Oprah and Alan Ball to Make Film of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
  10. http://rebeccaskloot.com/2016/08/oprah-winfrey-and-rose-byrne-to-star-in-film-adaptation-of-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks-2/ Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne to Star in Film Adaptation of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
  11. News: Long. Karen R.. February 7, 2010. In 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,' writer Rebecca Skloot shows us science's unsuspecting benefactor. The Plain Dealer. Cleveland. 5 July 2017.
  12. News: Rebecca Skloot Inks Deal for Book on 'Human-Animal Bond' . October 12, 2011 . Boog . Jason . Galley Cat . 5 July 2017.
  13. Web site: Forthcoming book: The Human Animal Bond . https://web.archive.org/web/20170818202139/http://rebeccaskloot.com/other-writings/forthcoming-book/ . 18 Aug 2017 . 5 July 2017.
  14. Web site: Forthcoming Book « Rebecca Skloot. rebeccaskloot.com. en. 2018-11-26.
  15. Web site: Rebecca Skloot: Creatures Great and Small . 2013 . Chicago Humanities Festival . 5 July 2017.
  16. News: Chasing wonder to the finest detail . Walsh . Colleen . Harvard Gazette . October 7, 2015 . 5 July 2017.
  17. Web site: AAAS/Subaru Science Books & Film (SB&F) Prizes Celebrate Books that Engage Young Readers . aaas.org . February 16, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130310055904/http://news.aaas.org/2011_annual_meeting/0216subarusbf-encouraging-science-literacy.shtml . March 10, 2013 . dead . May 3, 2016.
  18. Web site: Past Prizes  - 2010. Wellcome Book Prize . 27 April 2016 .
  19. Web site: E. O. Wilson and Rebecca Skloot: 2010 Chicago Tribune Heartland Prizes . chicagohumanities.org . 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131105041021/http://chicagohumanities.org/genres/literature/2010-chicago-tribune-heartland-prize-winners.aspx . November 5, 2013 . dead . May 3, 2016.
  20. Web site: Winners in the MJA Open Book Awards 2011 . mjauk.org . April 21, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120826153724/http://www.mjauk.org/news/winners-mja-open-book-awards-2011 . August 26, 2012 . dead . May 3, 2016.
  21. Web site: Literary honors for Skloot, Ebert . Chicago Tribune . 2010 . May 3, 2016.
  22. Web site: Ambassador Book Awards 2011 . esuus.org . 2011 . June 13, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150613114016/http://www.esuus.org/esu/activities/ambassador_awards/ . dead . May 3, 2016.
  23. Web site: 2011 winners . nationalacademies.org . September 15, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110924015123/http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=09152011 . September 24, 2011 . dead . May 3, 2016.

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