Best-selling author Rebecca Skloot to speak at Glenbard West

Author Rebecca Skloot will discuss her award-winning book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," during a presentation later this month at Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn.

Selected as the featured book for this year's Glenbard Family Read program, the book tells the riveting story of a poor black tobacco farmer whose cancer cells, taken without her knowledge or consent in 1951, became one of the most vital tools in modern medicine.

The cell line of Lacks, known to scientists as "HeLa," has been widely used in medical research and has led to the development of the polio vaccine, cancer treatments, gene mapping and more.

Lacks' cells have been sold for billions of dollars, yet she and her family remain virtually unknown and uncredited. As her descendants can't afford access to the health care advances made possible by their mother's cells, the story raises questions about race, class and ethics.

Skloot's appearance, part of the Glenbard Parent Series: Navigating Healthy Families, will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, in the Glenbard West auditorium at 670 Crescent Blvd.

The event is free, and students are welcome to attend. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early as seating is limited.

For details, visit glenbardgps.org or contact Gilda Ross, Glenbard District 87 student and community projects coordinator, at (630) 942-7668 or gilda_ross@glenbard.org.