Inequality of Disclosure: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Tony Platt — In 2010, Rebecca Skloot was a little known science journalist on the faculty at the University of Memphis when her first book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, an investigation into the ethics of medical research, was published. It became an instant crossover hit: translated into twenty-five languages, persistently near the top of The New York Times bestseller nonfiction list, receiving the … Continue reading Inequality of Disclosure: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

When Our Worlds Cried: California’s Genocide

Tony Platt — Too many academic historians are reluctant to accept that the catastrophic experiences of California Indians during the 19th century meet United Nations legal standards of genocide: “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.” Benjamin Madley, an Assistant Professor of History at UCLA, responds to this challenge as a prosecutor might, building … Continue reading When Our Worlds Cried: California’s Genocide