Rebecca L. Skloot (born September 19, 1972) is an American science writer who specializes in science and medicine.Jessica Teisch, "Floyd Skloot & Rebecca Skloot", in '' Bookmarks'', May/June 2010. 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. It was adapted into a movie by George C. Wolfe, which premiered on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

on April 22, 2017, and starred

Rose Byrne Mary Rose Byrne (born 24 July 1979) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut in the film ''Dallas Doll'' (1994) , and continued to act in Australian film and television throughout the 1990s. She gained her first leading film role in ...

as Skloot, and

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

as Lacks's daughter Deborah.

Early life and education

Rebecca was born in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...

. 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 The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

, erroots rehalf New York

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

and half Midwestern

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

." She received her high school diploma from Metropolitan Learning Center in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. After attending Portland Community College and becoming a Veterinary Technician, she received a B.S. in biological sciences from

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University Syst ...

, and an MFA in

creative nonfiction Creative nonfiction (also known as literary nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, literary journalism or verfabula) is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Creative nonfiction contrasts ...

from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

. She is a former vice president of the

National Book Critics Circle The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) is an American nonprofit organization (501(c) organization, 501(c)(3)) with more than 700 members. It is the professional association of American book review editors and critics, known primarily for the N ...

Career

She has taught creative writing and science journalism at the

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, and the

University of Memphis The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff Col ...

. Skloot has published over 200 featured stories and essays. Her work has appeared in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazi ...

'', '' O: The Oprah Magazine'', '' Discover'', and ''New York'' magazine. Skloot is also a contributing editor at ''

Popular Science Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...

'' 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), is about Henrietta Lacks and the immortal cell line (known as

HeLa HeLa () is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest human cell line and one of the most commonly used. HeLa cells are durable and prolific, allowing for extensive applications in scientific study. The line is ...

) 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 with

portraying Skloot. 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." Skloot and Henrietta's daughter Deborah formed a link in the writing of this book, which Deborah saw 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. 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. She discussed the topics of the book at the Chicago Humanities Festival in 2013. She spoke with researchers at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

about it in 2015.

Awards and honors

Rebecca Skloot talks at the University of Missouri

* 2005 Best American Food Writing, selection, "Two Americas, Two Restaurants, One Town" * 2005 Best Personal Essay of the Year by the

American Society of Journalists and Authors The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) was founded in 1948 as the Society of Magazine Writers, and is the professional association of independent nonfiction writers in the United States. History The organization was established in ...

, winner, "When Pets Attack" * 2005 The Best American Essays, selection, "Putting the Gene Back in Genealogy" * 2005 The Best American Travel Writing, selection, "Two Americas, Two Restaurants, One Town" * 2010

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

, Best Young Adult Book Award, ''The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks'' * 2010 Wellcome Trust Book Prize, winner, ''The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks'' * 2010 Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize, winner, ''The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks'' * 2010 Medical Journalists' Association Open Book Awards, General Nonfiction, winner, ''The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks'' * 2010 ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' and

Chicago Public Library The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the Chicago, City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, three regional libraries, and branches distributed thr ...

21st Century Award, winner * 2010 Audie Award for Best Nonfiction Audiobook, ''The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks'' * 2011 Ambassador Book Award, winner (Biography), ''The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks'' * 2011 National Academies of Science Communication Awards, winner in Best Book category, ''The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks'' * 2011 Audie Award for Best Nonfiction Audiobook, ''The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks''

Memberships

* National Association of Science Writers *

Publications

Books * '' The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks'' (Crown/Random House, 2010) * '' The Best American Science Writing'' (Houghton Mifflin, 2011), co edited with Floyd Skloot Select articles
Henrietta's Dance
''Johns Hopkins Magazine''. April 2000.
Some called her Miss Menten
by Rebecca Skloot in Pittmed (University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine magazine), October 2000.

''Pitt Magazine''. March 2001.

''

''. November 17, 2001. * ttps://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/22/opinion/the-other-baby-experiment.html?sec=health&pagewanted=print The Other Baby Experiment ''The New York Times''. February 22, 2003.
Fixing Nemo
''The New York Times''. May 2, 2004.

'' New York'' magazine. October 11, 2004.
Taking the Least of You
''

''. April 16, 2006.
Creature Comforts
''The New York Times Magazine''. December 31, 2008.
Excerpt from "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks"
"Oprah Magazine, February 2010

"New York Times" March 23, 2013

"New York Times" Dec 30, 2015

References

External links

*
The Henrietta Lacks Foundation
*
Ubben Lecture at DePauw University

Review of 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' on Mother Nature Network

Audio Interview

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skloot, Rebecca 1972 births Living people University of Pittsburgh alumni American medical journalists American science writers American bloggers Colorado State University alumni University of Pittsburgh faculty New York University faculty University of Memphis faculty American women bloggers American women science writers Portland Community College alumni Wellcome Book Prize American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American people of Jewish descent American women academics 21st-century American women writers