Culture Dish

After ten long years, the serious countdown has begun for the publication of my book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which will be on sale nationwide exactly SEVEN DAYS from today.  I've been posting about my impending book tour, and all the great coverage the book has been getting, on Twitter and Facebook, but thought I'd also post a bit of a press round up here, and an update, for those who (gasp) don't spend all of their time in those places. 

If you don't know what my book is about: it tells the story of a poor black tobacco farmer whose cancer cells -- taken without her knowledge -- became one of the most important tools in medicine, with disastrous consequences for her family. Please take a moment to read the full description of the book here.

So far, it's gotten incredible pre-publication press, for which I am very thankful: There is a big excerpt of the book in the February issue of O, the Oprah Magazine, as well as a small one in Publishers Weekly. The current issue of Wired has this great visual map showing the myriad ways HeLa cells have contributed to science, and the current issue of Popular Science features The Immortal Life as its book of the month, and The Five Reasons Henrietta Lacks is The Most Important Woman in Medical History. The LA Times named  mine as A Face to Watch in 2010, and the Chicago Tribune said, among other things that, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, to be published next month by Crown, beautifully epitomizes what's so wonderful about today's science writing for a lay audience." The Immortal Life has  been chosen as a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers pick for spring of 2010, and it's gotten starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal and Kirkus. It's also gotten some really wonderful blog reviews, for which I'm very grateful.

And there's more to come soon: I'll be featured on Fresh Air with Terry Gross on February 2nd (check for local air times here), then Weekend All Things Considered on 2/6 (check for local air times here), and the Bob Edwards show soon after that. The Immortal Life will also be featured in Essence, Discover, Nature, Better Homes & Gardens, Vogue, Mother Jones, Smithsonian.com, AARP, Huffington Post, New York Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World, and more.  To read all of the coverage to date, visit the "press" page of my website.

For those who missed the news of my book tour saga ... have a look at this article, The Immortal Book Tour, about my decision to organize a grassroots book tour for myself, which starts MONDAY with this public launch event, which I'm very excited about. I will be on the road speaking at universities, libraries, museums and bookstores nationwide from next Monday until June 1st (how does a person pack for such a trip? I have no idea!).  Please have a look at my full tour schedule to see if I'm coming to your town, which I probably am, and mark your calendars accordingly (events being added regularly, so please check back).

For those who want to follow what's going on with the book and the tour: I will be posting stories from the road here. To keep up with news related to the book, subscribe to the news updates on my website. Facebook is a great way to follow what's going on with me, so you can friend me there, and/or you can follow news about the book by becoming a "fan" of Henrietta Lacks. 

I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that the book is now available for pre-order. Quite a few wonderful bloggers have written posts (like this one) about why it's important to pre-order my book if you're planning to buy a copy (and I didn't even ask them to do this! As I said, I've been very lucky, and I'm very thankful.) So go to your favorite indy store or visit your favorite online store, order your copies, and please spread the word about my book, and my tour.