Saratoga Reads will launch its new series of public programs with two events in January, one designed for adult readers and one for young readers and their families.

The events will kick off a series related to this year's Saratoga Reads book of choice, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. The widely acclaimed nonfiction work tells the story of an African American woman who sought treatment for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951. During treatment, and without her consent, samples of her cancer tissue were taken for medical and scientific experimentation. For 60 years, cells reproduced from those samples have been used worldwide in medical research, yet Henrietta Lacks has remained virtually unknown and many of her family members have lived in poverty.

For adult readers there will be a showing of the film Miss Evers' Boys followed by a guided discussion on Sunday, Jan. 22, beginning at 1:30 p.m. at SUNY Empire State College, 113 West Avenue, Saratoga Springs. The event, co-sponsored by Empire State College, is free and open to the public.  More...

Saratoga Reads has announced its choice of a junior discussion book and a list of some 40 other titles for young readers, selected to complement the program's book of choice for this year—The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

The list of "companion books" has been designed to appeal to a wide of range of age groups and includes picture books for beginning readers through works for young teens. The books' themes range from medical discoveries, scientific mysteries, and the natural world to investigative reporting and the Civil Rights era.

As a complementary junior discussion book, Saratoga Reads has selected Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman. The nonfiction book tells the story of a railroad construction foreman who survived for 11 years after a 13-pound iron rod shot through his brain in a rock-blasting accident in 1848. Scientists and doctors were baffled by Gage's miraculous recovery and by the severe personality changes he experienced, making the case a textbook study of brain science. Phineas Gage will serve as the basis for two special evening discussions at the Saratoga Springs Public Library on successive Thursdays, Feb. 2 and Feb. 9. Designed for grades 4-6, the sessions will be led by student mentors from Skidmore College and Saratoga Springs High School, under the direction of Skidmore Professor of English Catherine Golden. More...

Saratoga Reads will launch its eighth year of community programming with a book fair featuring activities for the whole family on Sunday, Dec. 4, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Barnes & Noble, Route 50, Wilton.

The event will celebrate this year's Saratoga Reads book of choice, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, and will raise funds to support the community-wide reading program. Giveaways include a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card, as well as copies of the selected book.

Barnes & Noble will donate to Saratoga Reads a percentage of purchases made that day by shoppers who use the special book fair voucher. Vouchers and the book fair schedule are available here. Shoppers must use the voucher or specifically mention Saratoga Reads in order to have their purchases benefit the organization. More...

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot has been selected by public vote as this year's book of choice for Saratoga Reads, the community-wide reading program now marking its eighth year..

The widely acclaimed book—the first nonfiction work to be selected as a Saratoga Reads top choice—tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman who sought treatment for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951. During treatment, and without her consent, samples of her cancer tissue were taken for medical and scientific experimentation. For 60 years, cells reproduced from those samples have been used in research that has led to dozens of medical breakthroughs, including research on the human papilloma virus and advances in the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and in vitro fertilization.

The book is not only a biography of Lacks and her family, many of whom live in poverty, unable to afford health care, but also a revealing account of medical research and the variety of ethical questions it poses. Henrietta's cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she has remained virtually unknown, with scientists referring to her only by the code name HeLa. More...