Lawrence Ingrassia - A Fatal Inheritance: How a Family Misfortune Revealed - with Dan Balz

Watch author Lawrence Ingrassia's book talk and reading at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C.
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Ingrassia lost his mother, two sisters, brother, and nephew to cancer--different cancers developing at different points throughout their lives. And while highly unusual, his family is not the only one to wonder whether their heartbreak is the result of unbelievable bad luck, or if there might be another explanation.
Through meticulous research and riveting storytelling, A Fatal Inheritance takes us from the 1960s--when Dr. Frederick Pei Li and Dr. Joseph Fraumeni Jr. first met, not yet knowing that they would help make a groundbreaking discovery that would affect cancer patients for decades to come--to present day, as Ingrassia and countless others continue to unpack and build upon Li and Fraumeni's initial discoveries, and to understand what this means for their families.
In the face of seemingly unbearable loss, Ingrassia holds onto hope. He urges us to "fight like Charlie," his nephew who battled cancer his entire life starting with a rare tumor in his cheek at the age of two--and to look toward the future, as gene sequencing, screening protocols, CRISPR gene editing, and other developing technologies may continue to extend lifespans and perhaps, one day, even offer cures.
Lawrence Ingrassia is a former business and economics editor and deputy managing editor at the New York Times, having previously spent twenty-five years at the Wall Street Journal, as Boston bureau chief, London bureau chief, money and investing editor, and assistant managing editor. He also served as managing editor of the Los Angeles Times. The coverage he directed won five Pulitzer Prizes as well as Gerald Loeb Awards and George Polk Awards. His first book, Billion Dollar Brand Club, chronicles the rise of popular direct-to-consumer e-commerce brands and was shortlisted for several best business book awards for 2020. His latest book, A Fatal Inheritance, narrates the tale of a team of dedicated researchers who solved the medical mystery behind seemingly unrelated cancers devastating his and other families. He lives in the Seattle area.
Ingrassia is in conversation with Dan Balz. Balz is chief correspondent at The Washington Post. He joined The Post in 1978 and has been involved in political coverage as a reporter or editor throughout his career. Before coming to The Post, he worked at National Journal magazine as a reporter and an editor and at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is the author of several books, including two bestsellers. He was born in Freeport, Ill., graduated from the University of Illinois and served in the U.S. Army. He is married and has one adult son. He is a regular panelist on PBS’s “Washington Week” and has appeared on other public affairs programs.
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Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, Politics and Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.'s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics and Prose offers superior service, unusual book choices, and a haven for book lovers in the store and online.