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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

by Rebecca Skloot
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

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ISBN13: 9781400052189
ISBN10: 1400052181
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From Powells.com

Black Lives Matter

Staff Pick

This eye-opening read covers a complex story with hard science while remaining comprehensive. Between the pages you'll find topics such as body ownership, racism, and pharmaceutical companies, but most of all you'll find an engaging story.  Recommended By Junix S., Powells.com

This is an absolutely fascinating account of a line of cells that would proliferate to such a degree that they became immortal. Shaved from a tumor in a poor black woman in the 1950s, cultured without her knowledge, and grown to amazing proportions, HeLa cells would change the face of science and medicine forever. Pivotal in the search for disease obliteration, HeLa would prove invaluable because it simply would not die. Yet, Henrietta Lacks did die, in pain and obscurity, and her family knew nothing of her living cells. Posing some very serious questions on topics ranging from tissue ownership to the billion-dollar pharmaceutical industry to the mad rush for the elusive cure for cancer to the impossible cost of health insurance, Skloot has done an admirable job of research here. Ironically, Henrietta's story, if read in a novel, would seem ridiculously fantastical. Yet she lived — and her cells still do. Her story is unforgettable. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells — taken without her knowledge — became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they'd weigh more than 50 million metric tons — as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the effects of the atom bomb; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.

Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the "colored" ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta's small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia — a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo — to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live, and struggle with the legacy of her cells.

Henrietta's family did not learn of her "immortality" until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family — past and present — is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.

Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family — especially Henrietta's daughter Deborah, who was devastated to learn about her mother's cells. She was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Did it hurt her when researchers infected her cells with viruses and shot them into space? What happened to her sister, Elsie, who died in a mental institution at the age of fifteen? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn't her children afford health insurance?

Review

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a fascinating read and a ringing success. It is a well-written, carefully-researched, complex saga of medical research, bioethics, and race in America. Above all it is a human story of redemption for a family, torn by loss, and for a writer with a vision that would not let go." The Boston Globe

Review

"Skloot's vivid account begins with the life of Henrietta Lacks, who comes fully alive on the page...Immortal Life reads like a novel." Washington Post

Review

"Riveting...raises important questions about medical ethics...It's an amazing story...Deeply chilling... Whether those uncountable HeLa cells are a miracle or a violation, Skloot tells their fascinating story at last with skill, insight and compassion." St. Petersburg Times

Review

"This is exactly the sort of story that books were made to tell — thorough, detailed, quietly passionate, and full of revelation." Ted Conover, author of Newjack and The Routes of Man

Review

"Skloot tells a truly astonishing story of racism and poverty, science and conscience, spirituality and family driven by a galvanizing inquiry into the sanctity of the body and the very nature of the life force." Booklist (Starred Review)

Review

"Henrietta Lacks, a poor married, African American mother of five, died at 31 in Baltimore from a vicious form of cervical cancer. During her treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital and after her death there in 1951, researchers harvested some of her tumor cells. This wasn't unusual. Though Lacks consented to treatment, no one asked permission to take her cells; the era's scientists considered it fair to conduct research on patients in public wards since they were being treated for free. What was unusual was what happened next." Valerie Ann Johnson, Ms. Magazine (read the entire Ms. review)

Synopsis

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "The story of modern medicine and bioethics--and, indeed, race relations--is refracted beautifully, and movingly."--Entertainment Weekly

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM HBO(R) STARRING OPRAH WINFREY AND ROSE BYRNE - ONE OF THE "MOST INFLUENTIAL" (CNN), "DEFINING" (LITHUB), AND "BEST" (THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER) BOOKS OF THE DECADE - ONE OF ESSENCE'S 50 MOST IMPACTFUL BLACK BOOKS OF THE PAST 50 YEARS - WINNER OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE HEARTLAND PRIZE FOR NONFICTION

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review - Entertainment Weekly - O: The Oprah Magazine - NPR - Financial Times - New York - Independent (U.K.) - Times (U.K.) - Publishers Weekly - Library Journal - Kirkus Reviews - Booklist - Globe and Mail

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells--taken without her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb's effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.

Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Henrietta's family did not learn of her "immortality" until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family--past and present--is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.

Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family--especially Henrietta's daughter Deborah. Deborah was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Had they killed her to harvest her cells? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn't her children afford health insurance?

Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences.

Synopsis

Now an HBO(R) Film starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells--taken without her knowledge in 1951--became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more. Henrietta's cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can't afford health insurance. This phenomenal New York Times bestseller tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew.

Synopsis

Skloot brilliantly weaves together the story of Henrietta Lacks — a woman whose cells have been unwittingly used for scientific research since the 1950s — with the birth of bioethics, and the dark history of experimentation on African Americans.

Video


About the Author

REBECCA SKLOOT is an award-winning science writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine; O, The Oprah Magazine; Discover; and many others. She is coeditor of The Best American Science Writing 2011 and has worked as a correspondent for NPR’s Radiolab and PBS’s Nova ScienceNOW. She was named one of five surprising leaders of 2010 by the Washington Post. Skloot's debut book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, took more than a decade to research and write, and instantly became a New York Times bestseller. It was chosen as a best book of 2010 by more than sixty media outlets, including Entertainment Weekly, People, and the New York Times. It is being translated into more than twenty-five languages, adapted into a young reader edition, and being made into an HBO film produced by Oprah Winfrey and Alan Ball. Skloot is the founder and president of The Henrietta Lacks Foundation. She has a B.S. in biological sciences and an MFA in creative nonfiction. She has taught creative writing and science journalism at the University of Memphis, the University of Pittsburgh, and New York University. She lives in Chicago. For more information, visit her website at RebeccaSkloot.com, where you’ll find links to follow her on Twitter and Facebook. 

Reading Group Guide

1. On page xiii, Rebecca Skloot states “This is a work of nonfiction. No names have been changed, no characters invented, no events fabricated.” Consider the process Skloot went through to verify dialogue, recreate scenes, and establish facts. Imagine trying to re-create scenes such as when Henrietta discovered her tumor (page 15). What does Skloot say on pages xiii–xiv and in the notes section (page 346) about how she did this?

2. One of Henrietta’s relatives said to Skloot, “If you pretty up how people spoke and change the things they said, that’s dishonest” (page xiii). Throughout, Skloot is true to the dialect in which people spoke to her: the Lackses speak in a heavy Southern accent, and Lengauer and Hsu speak as non-native English speakers. What impact did the decision to maintain speech authenticity have on the story?

3. As much as this book is about Henrietta Lacks, it is also about Deborah learning of the mother she barely knew, while also finding out the truth about her sister, Elsie. Imagine discovering similar information about one of your family members. How would you react? What questions would you ask?

4. In a review for the New York Times, Dwight Garner writes, “Ms. Skloot is a memorable character herself. She never intrudes on the narrative, but she takes us along with her on her reporting.” How would the story have been different if she had not been a part of it? What do you think would have happened to scenes like the faith healing on page 289? Are there other scenes you can think of where her presence made a difference? Why do you think she decided to include herself in the story?

5.  Deborah shares her mother’s medical records with Skloot, but is adamant that she not copy everything. On page 284 Deborah says, “Everybody in the world got her cells, only thing we got of our mother is just them records and her Bible.” Discuss the deeper meaning behind this sentence. Think not only of her words, but also of the physical reaction she was having to delving into her mother’s and sister’s medical histories. If you were in Deborah’s situation, how would you react to someone wanting to look into your mother’s medical records?

6. This is a story with many layers. Though it’s not told chronologically, it is divided into three sections. Discuss the significance of the titles given to each part: Life, Death, and Immortality. How would the story have been different if it were told chronologically?

7. As a journalist, Skloot is careful to present the encounter between the Lacks family and the world of medicine without taking sides. Since readers bring their own experiences and opinions to the text, some may feel she took the scientists’ side, while others may feel she took the family’s side. What are your feelings about this? Does your opinion fall on one side or the other, or somewhere in the middle, and why?

8. Henrietta signed a consent form that said, “I hereby give consent to the staff of The Johns Hopkins Hospital to perform any operative procedures and under any anaesthetic either local or general that they may deem necessary in the proper surgical care and treatment of: ________” (page 31). Based on this statement, do you believe TeLinde and Gey had the right to obtain a sample from her cervix to use in their research? What information would they have had to give her for Henrietta to give informed consent? Do you think Henrietta would have given explicit consent to have a tissue sample used in medical research if she had been given all the information? Do you always thoroughly read consent forms before signing them?

9. In 1976, when Mike Rogers’s Rolling Stone article was printed, many viewed it as a story about race (see page 197 for reference). How do you think public interpretation might have been different if the piece had been published at the time of Henrietta’s death in 1951? How is this different from the way her story is being interpreted today? How do you think Henrietta’s experiences with the medical system would have been different had she been a white woman? What about Elsie’s fate?

10. Consider Deborah’s comment on page 276: “Like I’m always telling my brothers, if you gonna go into history, you can’t do it with a hate attitude. You got to remember, times was different.” Is it possible to approach history from an objective point of view? If so, how and why is this important, especially in the context of Henrietta’s story?

11. Deborah says, “But I always have thought it was strange, if our mother cells done so much for medicine, how come her family can’t afford to see no doctors? Don’t make no sense” (page 9). Should the family be financially compensated for the HeLa cells? If so, who do you believe that money should come from? Do you feel the Lackses deserve health insurance even though they can’t afford it? How would you respond if you were in their situation?

12. Dr. McKusick directed Susan Hsu to contact Henrietta’s children for blood samples to further HeLa research; neither McKusick nor Hsu tried to get informed consent for this research. Discuss whether or not you feel this request was ethical. Further, think about John Moore and the patent that had been filed without his consent on his cells called “Mo” (page 201). How do you feel about the Supreme Court of California ruling that states when tissues are removed from your body, with or without your consent, any claim you might have had to owning them vanishes?

13. Religious faith and scientific understanding, while often at odds with each other, play important roles in the lives of the Lacks family. How does religious faith help frame the Lacks’ response to and interpretation of the scientific information they receive about HeLa? How does Skloot’s attitude towards religious faith and science evolve as a result of her relationship with the Lackses?

14. On page 261, Deborah and Zakariyya visit Lengauer’s lab and see the cells for the first time. How is their interaction with Lengauer different from the previous interactions the family had with representatives of Johns Hopkins? Why do you think it is so different? What does the way Deborah and Zakariyya interact with their mother’s cells tell you about their feelings for her?

15. Reflect upon Henrietta’s life: What challenges did she and her family face? What do you think their greatest strengths were? Consider the progression of Henrietta’s cancer in the last eight months between her diagnosis and death. How did she face death? What do you think that says about the type of person she was?


Selected for More than Sixty Best of the Year Lists Including:

 

New York Times Notable Book

Entertainment Weekly #1 Nonfiction Book of the Year

New Yorker Reviewers’ Favorite

American Library Association Notable Book

People Top Ten Book of the Year

Washington Post Book World Top Ten Book of the Year

Salon.com Best Book of the Year

USA Today Ten Books We Loved Reading

O, The Oprah Magazine Top Ten Book of the Year

National Public Radio Best of the Bestsellers

Boston Globe Best Nonfiction Book of the Year  

Financial Times Nonfiction Favorite

Los Angeles Times Critics’ Pick

Bloomberg Top Nonfiction

New York magazine Top Ten Book of the Year

Slate.com Favorite Book of the Year

TheRoot.com Top Ten Book of the Year

Discover magazine 2010 Must-Read

Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

Library Journal Top Ten Book of the Year

Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year

U.S. News & World Report Top Debate-Worthy Book

Booklist Top of the List—Best Nonfiction Book

“I could not put the book down . . . The story of modern medicine and bioethics—and, indeed, race relations—is refracted beautifully, and movingly.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Science writing is often just about ‘the facts.’ Skloot’s book, her first, is far deeper, braver, and more wonderful.” —New York Times Book Review

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a triumph of science writing...one of the best nonfiction books I have ever read.” —Wired.com

“A deftly crafted investigation of a social wrong committed by the medical establishment, as well as the scientific and medical miracles to which it led.” —Washington Post

“Riveting...a tour-de-force debut.” —Chicago Sun-Times

“A real-life detective story, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks probes deeply into racial and ethical issues in medicine . . . The emotional impact of Skloot’s tale is intensified by its skillfully orchestrated counterpoint between two worlds.” —Nature

“A jaw-dropping true story . . . raises urgent questions about race and research for ‘progress’ . . . an inspiring tale for all ages.” —Essence

“This extraordinary account shows us that miracle workers, believers, and con artists populate hospitals as well as churches, and that even a science writer may find herself playing a central role in someone else’s mythology.” —The New Yorker

  

“Has the epic scope of Greek drama, and a corresponding inability to be easily

explained away.” —SF Weekly

 

“One of the great medical biographies of our time.” —The Financial Times

  

“Like any good scientific research, this beautifully crafted and painstakingly researched book raises nearly as many questions as it answers . . . In a time when it’s fashionable to demonize scientists, Skloot generously does not pin any sins to the lapels of the researchers. She just lets them be human . . . [and] challenges much of what we believe of ethics, tissue ownership, and humanity.” —Science

  

“Indelible . . . The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a heroic work of cultural and medical journalism.” —Laura Miller, Salon.com

  

“No dead woman has done more for the living . . . a fascinating, harrowing, necessary book.” —Hilary Mantel, The Guardian (U.K.)

  

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks does more than one book ought to be able to do.” —Dallas Morning News

  

“Above all it is a human story of redemption for a family, torn by loss, and for a writer with a vision that would not let go.” —Boston Globe

 “This remarkable story of how the cervical cells of the late Henrietta Lacks, a poor black woman, enabled subsequent discoveries from the polio vaccine to in vitro fertilization is extraordinary in itself; the added portrayal of Lacks's full life makes the story come alive with her humanity and the palpable relationship between race, science, and exploitation.—Paula J. Giddings, author of Ida, A Sword Among Lions; Elizabeth A. Woodson 1922 Professor, Afro-American Studies, Smith College

  

“Skloot’s engaging, suspenseful book is an incredibly welcome addition for non-science wonks.” —Newsweek

“Extraordinary . . . If science has exploited Henrietta Lacks [Skloot] is determined not to. This biography ensures that she will never again be reduced to cells in a petri dish: she will always be Henrietta as well as HeLa.” —The Telegraph (U.K.)

 

“Brings the Lacks family alive . . . gives Henrietta Lacks another kind of immortality—this one through the discipline of good writing.” —Baltimore Sun

“A work of both heart and mind, driven by the author’s passion for the story, which is as endlessly renewable as HeLa cells.” —Los Angeles Times

 

“In this gripping, vibrant book, Rebecca Skloot looks beyond the scientific marvels to explore the ethical issues behind a discovery that may have saved your life.” —Mother Jones

 

“More than ten years in the making, it feels like the book Ms. Skloot was born to write . . . Skloot, a young science journalist and an indefatigable researcher, writes about Henrietta Lacks and her impact on modern medicine from almost every conceivable angle and manages to make all of them fascinating . . . a searching moral inquiry into greed and blinkered lives . . . packed with memorable characters.” —Dwight Garner, New York Times, Top Ten Book of 2010

 

“Astonishing . . .No matter how much you may know about basic biology, you will be amazed by this book. —The Journal of Clinical Investigation

“Rebecca Skloot did her job, and she did it expertly . . . A riveting narrative that is wholly original.” —THEROOT.COM

 

“Moving . . .” —The Economist

 

“Journalist Rebecca Skloot’s history of the miraculous cells reveals deep injustices in U.S. medical research.” —TIME

 

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a fascinating look at the woman whose cultured cells—the first to grow and survive indefinitely, harvested without compensation or consent—have become essential to modern medicine.” —Vogue

 

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a remarkable feat of investigative journalism and a moving work of narrative nonfiction that reads with the vividness and urgency of fiction. It also raises sometimes uncomfortable questions with no clear-cut answers about whether people should be remunerated for their physical, genetic contributions to research and about the role of profit in science.” —National Public Radio

 

“An indelible, marvelous story as powerful as those cells.” —Philadelphia Inquirer

 

“As much an act of justice as one of journalism.” —Seattle Times

 

“A stunning book . . . surely the definitive work on the subject.” —The Independent(U.K.)

 

“Graceful . . . I can’t think of a better way to capture the corrosive effects of ethical transgressions in medical research. It’s a heartbreaking story, beautifully rendered.” —The Lancet

 

“Read this . . . By letting the Lackses be people, and by putting them in the center of the history, Skloot turns just another tale about the march of progress into a complicated portrait of the interaction between science and human lives. —BOINGBOING.NET

 

“[A] remarkable and moving book . . . a vivid portrait of Lacks that should be as abiding as her cells.” —The Times (U.K.)

 

“I can’t imagine a better tale. A detective story that’s at once mythically large and painfully intimate. I highly recommend this book.” —Jad Abumrad, Radiolab

 

“Skloot is a terrific popularizer of medical science, guiding readers through this dense material with a light and entertaining touch.” —The Globe and Mail (Canada)

 

“A rare and powerful combination of race, class, gender,medicine, bioethics, and intellectual property; far more rare is the writer that can so clearly fuse those disparate threads into a personal story so rich and compelling.” —Seed

 

“Powerful story . . . I feel moved even to say on behalf of the thousands of anonymous black men and women who’ve been experimented on for medical purposes, thank you. Thank you for writing this important book.” —Kali-AhsetAmen, Radio Diaspora

 

“Skloot has written an important work of immersive nonfiction that brings not only the stories of Henrietta Lacks and HeLa once more into line, but also catharsis to a family in sore need of it.” —The Times Literary Supplement

 

“A masterful work of nonfiction . . . a real page turner.” —Hanna Rosin, Slate

 

“Skloot explores human consequences of the intersection of science and business, rescuing one of modern medicine’s inadvertent pioneers from an unmarked grave.” —US News & World Report

 

“Remarkably balanced and nonjudgmental . . . The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks will leave readers reeling, plain and simple. It has a power and resonance rarely found in any genre, and is a subject that touches each of us, whether or not we are aware of our connection to Henrietta’s gift.” —The Oregonian

 

“This is the perfect book. It reads like a novel but has the intellectual substance of a science textbook or a historical biography.” —The Daily Nebraskan

 

“Illuminates what happens when medical research is conducted within an unequal health-care system and delivers an American narrative fraught with intrigue, tragedy, triumph, pathos, and redemption.” --Ms.

“A tremendous accomplishment —a tale of important science history that reads like a terrific novel.” —Kansas City Star

 

“Good science writing isn’t easy, but Skloot makes it appear so.” —The Wichita Eagle

 

“Encompasses nearly every hot-button issue currently surrounding the practice of medicine.” —Madison Capital Times

 

“Defies easy categorization . . . as unpredictable as any pulp mystery and as strange as any science fiction.” —Willamette Week

 

“An achievement . . . navigates both the technical and deeply personal sides of the HeLa story with clarity and care.” —The Portland Mercury

 

“[A] remarkable book.” —London Review of Books 

 

“An essential reminder that all human cells grown in labs across the world, HeLa or otherwise, came from individuals with fears, desires, and stories to tell.” —Chemical & Engineering News 

 

“Blows away the notion that science writing must be the literary equivalent to Ambien.” —Chicago Tribune

 

“Seldom do you read a book that is science, social history, and a page turner.” —British Medical Journal

 

“Thrilling and original nonfiction that refuses to be shoehorned into anything as trivial as a genre. It is equal parts popular science, historical biography, and detective novel.” —Ed Yong, DISCOVER.COM

 

“Best book I’ve read in years.” —Brian Sullivan, Fox Business Network

 

“Thanks to Rebecca Skloot, we may now remember Henrietta—who she was, how she lived, how she died.” —The New Republic

 

“We need more writers like Rebecca Skloot.” —E.O.Wilson


4.9 82

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating 4.9 (82 comments)

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Kristina , August 13, 2017 (view all comments by Kristina)
Almost everyone who has worked in biology or medicine, or even taken introductory courses in these fields, has heard of HeLa cells. This immortal human cell line is used extensively for research in laboratories around the world and has been instrumental to countless developments in modern medicine. Yet few know the story of where these cells came from. This book tells that story. HeLa cells were originally taken from the tumor of a poor black women named Henrietta Lacks by Johns Hopkins University in 1951. The cells were taken without Henrietta’s knowledge or consent. This is the story of Henrietta and her family – in a tragic twist of history, Henrietta’s surviving family members are too poor to afford health insurance. A riveting account of the life and family of Henrietta Lacks, the incredible contributions to science of the HeLa cells, and of the ethical breaches involved in this real-life saga.

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rain reader , November 09, 2014 (view all comments by rain reader)
This book has endured as my all time favorite book since I read it 4 years ago! I love how Rebecca Skloot intertwines the story of an important scientific development with the tale of the woman and her family that made that crucial advance possible. The book explores so many fascinating tributaries that wind around the topic of ethics in science - race and class in the US, the state of the medical establishment in the 50s, the evolving law surrounding genetics, to name a few. That's quite a mouthful to bite off but Skloot expertly keeps the reader enthralled as we tag along with her and the family at the center of the book. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a non-fiction journey that will intrigue, anger and excite you.

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Stefan Poulos , October 21, 2014
very good book, great american history! hope they made a movie! =)

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pickfordm , August 06, 2014 (view all comments by pickfordm)
Except when I read for research purposes, I generally settle down with a book of fiction. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, though nonfiction, captured my interest because of the rave reviews and fascinating press it generated, and I quickly picked up a copy of the hardcover edition when the book came out last year. I found that it lived up to all the hype. It's an intelligent, interesting book which reads as fluidly as good fiction, vividly fleshes out real life characters with poignance and compassion, and also provides a clear-eyed description of the socio-economic inequities that plague our system. As for the science, I'm sure most of it is way (way!) over my head. However, unlike some academics, whose writing is indecipherable to all but their fellow experts, Skloot writes clearly and effectively about the importance of Ms. Lacks' immortal cells. Even though we may not "get" all the science, we understand the gist of what the author tells us, and certainly grasp its importance. She also seamlessly weaves into her book the history of medical research, and of issues like informed consent. I also admire the way that Skloot puts herself, and her journey, into the narrative. Her relationship with Henrietta's troubled but gentle-spirited daughter was, for me, one of the most moving parts of the narrative. At the end of the book, you find that Skloot has established a scholarship fund for Henrietta Lacks' grandchildren, who remain impoverished despite the billions of dollars that have been made from their grandmother's cells. I definitely intend to visit the website and make a contribution, and I'm sure many other readers will do the same after reading this book.

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jenmariestone , January 30, 2013
This was a wonderful read. The intersection of family, history, ethics, science, and journalism create an inspiring web that illuminates the intricate connections between ideas and people.

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Ann Marie Magill , January 30, 2013
Gripping account of a woman whose cancerous cells, without the knowledge of her or her family, were used to profit science and industry. Skloot does her research, gets to know the family intimately, lays out the history of cell research, touches on the history of civil rights and medical exploitation of the poor, all with an expert writer's hand.

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Skippy99 , January 30, 2013
A great read - even the biology descriptions are fascinating - and a glimpse into a family's fearful, thrilling, heartbreaking and at times, joyful search for the truth about their mother's illness and treatment.

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seatower , January 18, 2013 (view all comments by seatower)
This is one of the BEST books I have ever read...consummately informative, heartrending, thought-provoking, and a veritable page turner. The backstory of the long, complicated process that Rebecca Skloot endured to effectuate the publishing of this book is a testament to her commitment to bringing to light the monumental contribution of Henrietta Lacks to humankind, science and medicine around the world. It is the "Common Reading Book" that all incoming freshmen read at Washington State University (nominations are submitted a year in advance by anyone in the University community and a board convenes to decide on a choice for the subsequent year...I submitted "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" with an accompanying essay explaining how it would be used across the University curricula and was pleasantly surprised when it was announced as the "Common Reading Book" for the fall 2012-Spring 2013 academic school year). This book should be on everyone's must-read list! I will now purchase the award-winning audiobook and look forward to the movie.

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Neal Makely , January 09, 2013 (view all comments by Neal Makely)
I read this book as part of an expat book club. Our discussion was particularly interesting because the group included several people who had worked on HeLa cells in the course of their work - and never knew the story behind them. This book raises so many questions and considerations in the reader's mind, ranging from medical ethics to poverty to education to the US health care system. I've heard that it has become required reading for some medical schools; I wholeheartedly agree. Ms. Skloot astounded me with her persistence; I would have called the project a lost cause at any number of points along the way and resumed my own life, but she persisted. For that we all owe her a major debt of gratitude. Thanks to the author, the name Henrietta Lacks will indeed be immortal.

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Melissa Enoch , January 04, 2013
This true story book was fascinating. Henrietta Lacks is one of the most important figures in history yet her name and story is hardly known. The author does a great job of intertwining Henrietta's life story with the complicated facts surrounding genetics and cell research in order to provide readers with an easily readable and understandable "story." I certainly learned a lot from this book and enjoyed reading it.

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Elizabeth Horvath , January 02, 2013
This book opened up my eyes to the hidden culture behind the medical profession and its evasion of privacy to better its discoveries using an individual's cells, without acknowledging Ms. Lacks and her family. Rebecca Skloot's book is a work of love which took a decade to write and I thank her for it.

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annamcampbell , January 02, 2013
This book is a story of science and medicine filled with fascinating people, history and controversy. Rebecca Skloot does a stellar job of telling the story of the first immortal cell line. She explains the science in a way that is still interesting to this biology major yet very accessible to those who aren't science geeks. As a fan of science history and medical ethics, I am grateful to Rebecca Skloot for her persistence in unearthing this amazing story before its details were lost.

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Reluctant Reader , January 02, 2013
I enjoyed this book which took a look at the origin of the HeLa cells which are used in research world wide. The author spent years researching the cells' origin in order to put a name and a face to these cells but, in the end, she did much more. The book not only gives the reader an idea about the life or Henrietta Lacks (HeLa) but allows a glimpse into the world of her descendants.

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farzadnlaura , January 01, 2013 (view all comments by farzadnlaura)
This is some of the best writing I have run across in a long time. The engaging, true story of Henrietta Lacks and her cancer cells' unsung contribution to scientific research is as gripping as a good mystery and as hard to put down. Rebecca Skloot's pain as she uncovers the sad situation that led to the discovery of HeLa cells and that neither Lacks nor her family was ever compensated for her contribution, is palpable throughout the book. Skloot makes the science behind the discovery accessible to everyone, and conveys the intellectual thrill of finding a continually-regenerating cell line. I would recommend this book to anyone, whether scientifically-inclined or not.

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Heather Starr , January 01, 2013
This book entered my dreams and kept me up at night. I was riveted by it, and most of all impressed with Skloot and how many people she reached out to, connected with, persisted with, and shared this manuscript with along the way. A book, a saga, and many, many people and issues I won't soon forget.

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diannekl , January 01, 2013
Science, family & ethics

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starbyness , January 01, 2013 (view all comments by starbyness)
Not only is this book interesting, amazing and liberating, the author is a very interesting and intelligent person. I had the benefit of meeting her in the middle of 2012 and she's very passionate about this novel and what it means to the world. It's really an amazing tale that explains so much of the under side of early medical testing and how it has taken advantage of the disadvantaged and still continues to. Great read.

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Janet H Mandaville , January 01, 2013
Starting out reading, was skeptical that I'd get into book; however, found it riveting and hard to put down!

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adreyer1988 , August 04, 2012
One of the best pieces of Science Journalism I've ever read. Skloot's clear, winning prose makes Leaks sad and amazing history just leap off the page. I can't recommend this enough.

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sla1958 , May 08, 2012
This book changed my perspective on public health. It is emotional and gut wrenching. It reads like a novel and is filled with reality. The story flows and the characters are real. I have recommended this book to more people than I can count. Read it!

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Jenie , April 27, 2012 (view all comments by Jenie)
You will think and talk about and recommend this book long after finishing it. It reads like a novel-- a personal story about a mom, a daughter and a family, while at the same time touches directly on every living being human or animal. It is thought provoking, anger inducing, and awe inspiring. It raises issues that I didn't know existed and really have no right answers. Thank you Powells for turning me on to this book.

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smirati , March 17, 2012 (view all comments by smirati)
Both of my grandmothers have had cancer on their reproductive organs, so this book really hit home. Rebecca Skloot is fabulous writing, she even made the science parts interesting. I normally don't read books like this, only if I had for school. I read it because I wanted to learn about the cells that saved one of grandmothers live. Please read this book, it is very informative, and not text bookie at all, its a true story about a women who made a difference in the world.

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Pengi , January 31, 2012 (view all comments by Pengi)
I read this book when it first came out so I can't make many specific comments, but I do know that I've recommended it to multiple people. It was an emotional experience for me because someone close to me was diagnosed with cancer when the book first came out. I both felt for Henrietta Lacks and her family for their role in recent medical advances and felt a sense of injustice on their part, while at the same time I was grateful that their unknown contribution helped develop the medicines that were needed to make my person well again. Not to mention the vaccines and other advances that have helped keep many of us healthy to live long lives. The book was a wonderful read and encourages deep questions of morality, duty and gratitude. Thank you to the Lacks family for your contribution to our health care and saving the life of someone close to me.

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Meigan , January 27, 2012
Rebecca Skloot knocked my socks off with this book. The story itself encompasses human tragedy, injustice, and bravery, against a backdrop of science - the politics swirling around it, the inner workings of the biotech machine, and an exploration (made fascinating and enjoyable to read) of the science behind the story itself. Her writing is, seriously, SUPERB. I'd like to think that she didn't agonize over every word, because the writing seems to unfold so seamlessly and naturally and replete with humor and insight; on the other hand it is so well-crafted that it had to have been damn hard work. Regardless, it is also a great story (again, really well told). It's a great story not only because the tragic yet brave and oh-so-human experience of these people touches your soul, but because it raises so many questions about what it is to be human, and where the line between scientific progress and respect for the humanity of your fellow man becomes disturbingly blurred. I think everyone should read this book!

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bostonoski , January 23, 2012
The best book I read this year. Fascinating. Informative. Heart-wrenching. Ethics-questioning. Thought-provoking. Really a labor of love, and well done too.

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skelm , January 23, 2012
This book gets my vote because it really explores everything - science, ethics, human interest, mystery, race relations, socioeconomic concerns. Plus, it shines where many nonfiction books often fall: the characters are shaped in such a way that you care about them and the outcome of their lives. It makes you think about things you may have never considered before, such as "what of my body do I really own?" This book is engaging and fascinating, a true page-turner. And it's all true.

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Linda Maguire , January 20, 2012
One of the best books I have ever read. Every page made me think of things in a different way and ask questions. This books isn't just about cancer cells from a poor black woman that changed the lives of millions... that was just the beginning. If you haven't read it yet... DO!

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Maureen McGrain , January 19, 2012
Henrietta Lacks' cells influenced nearly every aspect of health care today, including the creation of important vaccines and health care information privacy. Sounds dry, but this book is an absolute page-turner.

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Val Romanow , January 19, 2012 (view all comments by Val Romanow)
This book by Rebecca Skloot represents the very best of what a book can be. It informs, educates, entertains and gave me an intimate look at an incredible human being. It reads like a novel. Henrietta Lacks represents the very best in us. Through her incredible pain both physical and mental; lack of opportunity coupled with the yoke of blind prejudice she remained kind, strong and behaved with incredible dignity. If you read one book, read this one. It will enrich you and remain in your mind for a long time.

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Rose08 , January 19, 2012
Fascinating book and raises lots of interesting issues to ponder. Highly recommended!

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kthompson1985 , January 19, 2012
I could not put it down. This is such a fascinating book and it applies to all of us. Anyone who reads this can relate to it somehow. Awesome book!

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Bookworm10 , January 19, 2012 (view all comments by Bookworm10)
Nonfiction that reads like a ficitional page turner. Fascinating story!! She folds in the scientific aspect (easy to understand aspects of cells) without interrupting the flow of the story or making it sound like a lecture in school. She does a great job with the actual people, as she was not judgemental, but she also didn't sugarcoat the story. She just lays in out there with her touch of humanity. The author brought in so many different aspects and sides to the story, so you get a complete well-rounded tale. The research and work that went into this story amazes me. Exciting and can't be missed!

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Tamera , January 19, 2012
this is fascinating stuff!!!! A wonderful portrayal of a family done wrong by the man!

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Esther Leonelli , January 19, 2012
This was a most compelling read! Very thorough and illuminating book on the ethical and moral choices that the medical world makes that reflect the racism still in the American health system today.

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Jane Engel , January 19, 2012
I liked this book very much because first and foremost, the writing is excellent, a really important factor for a good book. Second, Rebecca Skloot thoroughly researched the story of Henrietta Lacks, tracking down and interviewing many of the remaining members of Henrietta's family and learning her real story, which is extraordinary - and heartbreaking, given the way Henrietta was treated as a black woman back in the '50's. At times the book reads like a novel and from the first page the reader is drawn in to this for real woman's life.

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Brenbooks , January 19, 2012
An amazing and true story that was extremely well written and tells the extraordinary tale of Henrietta Lacks who died in 1951 yet her cancer cells not only live on but have had an incredible effect on the understanding, treatments and cures for cancer. The BEST book I read in 2011!

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terere22 , January 14, 2012
A human look at the rippling effects of a woman's deadly cancer. Detective work, social work and fine narrative by Skloot provide insight into the medical profession, race relations and poverty. Well worth reading.

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dsafford001 , January 14, 2012 (view all comments by dsafford001)
Henrietta Lacks died in 1951, but her cells live on in medical research. Today they are known as HeLa cells, but then they were cells from the cervical cancer that took her life. As a poor black woman, Henrietta didn't have access to good medical care. While she was able to get treatment at John's Hopkins, it was below par. The doctors treated her with radiation and took samples of her tumor. Those tumors were the first to ever continue to grow and thrive in a laboratory, even surviving shipping around the world. But, Henrietta didn't give permission for the cells to be taken, nor did her family. Why didn't the well-intentioned scientists get permission? What impact did the discovery of her living cells have on her family? How has this true story made an impact on medical research? This book was difficult to put down. I was fascinated and shocked with Henrietta's story, as well as that of her family. Rebecca Skloot does a masterful job of telling both Henrietta's story and that of her cells and their importance. I read this for a work group discussion we are having at our all staff retreat, and definitely recommend it. There is so much to discuss!

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a reader from TX , January 11, 2012
This is one of the very few books with rave reviews that will not disappoint. Rebecca Skloot weaves a plot that tells of the history of a family and a journey of personal discovery, including discussions of extremely complex historical and philosophical issues while avoiding the temptation of easy judgment or recipes. Her writing is warm, and at the same time lucid and precise. Her honesty is rare. This is an important story that needed to be told. I am looking forward to Skoot's future writing.

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SMH in PDX , January 09, 2012 (view all comments by SMH in PDX)
This was a moving story. I appreciated all the advances that came from her situation, though there are many ethical questions about how this occurred. It was a great look at the issues raised by advancing science and medicine. It demonstrated how those who do not have an educated advocate coulde be taken advantage of by researches and scams. It certianly makes you think!! Great book.

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Cynthia P , January 07, 2012
Even though I'd heard and read such good things about this book, I was still surprised by what an amazing page-turner it was. Skloot's story has something for everyone. If you've been putting off reading "Immortal Life", do yourself a favor and get a copy.

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Linda Colby , January 06, 2012
This is one book that I do not lend to others! I pick it up and re-read over and over again.

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Janoseb , January 03, 2012 (view all comments by Janoseb)
Rebecca Skloot is a hero for bringing this true story to readers. If you only read one book this year make it this one. You won't be disappointed by this incredible story that gave me chills and brought me to tears. Equally incredible is the tenacity and bold determination of the writer to make sure people know about Henrietta Lacks and how she is important and deserves to be recognized.

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Leisa Vandehey , January 03, 2012 (view all comments by Leisa Vandehey)
This is the best book I've read in a long time! I enjoyed how the timeline unfolds and the authors explanation of how she came to write this book. I had never heard of Hela cells or Henrietta Lacks, yet my life has been intimately affected by the miracle of her cells. There were moments that I got goosebumps reading this book, and there were moments that my mouth fell open. I highly recommend one-and-all to read this book. We owe so much to Henrietta Lacks for her cells, her family for sharing her story, and Rebecca Skloot for writing this story; reading this book and telling others about it is the LEAST I can do!

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Karen from SF , January 03, 2012 (view all comments by Karen from SF)
Amazing story, fabulously researched. Rebecca Skloot subtly makes her pursuit of the story part of the story, and it is the hook that drew me in. I happen to love science and medicine, but I think anyone with an interest in human beings would find this story fascinating.

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Jim Pollaro , January 02, 2012
This was not a typical historic account. Part of it is written in first person and tells the story of the author doing the research. Not only does she write about the history of the cell line, she tells the history of the woman they came from and her family. Entertaining yet very informative. If only all science histories were written this well.

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Leslie Austin , January 02, 2012 (view all comments by Leslie Austin)
What an amazing story! The book is well researched, well written and because it's non-fiction, really very amazing. It wasn't a book I'd have chosen randomly to read but after several recommendations I decided to give it a try. Then I found it was hard to put down at the end of a chapter. Henrietta's story makes me wonder how many other medical miracles came from dark research secrets like this one. In addition to being a "great read," I was pleased to have found a used hardback copy at Powells for less than $10 and I'm passing it along to a friend.

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byronium , January 02, 2012
One of the best non-fiction books I've read in a long time. I recall seeing a feature on HeLa cells in a science magazine in the mid-80's, so my interest was sparked when I heard that there was going to be a book about the subject. The author has done exhaustive research, interviewing scientists and Lacks family members first-hand to understand the impact to the life sciences community and to the family left behind.

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vmantle , January 02, 2012 (view all comments by vmantle)
Rebecca Skloot creates a seamless journey through the life of a woman, a scientific frontier and the culture that shaped them both. A marvelous read.

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Tamla , January 02, 2012 (view all comments by Tamla)
I found this book to be very enlightening. Beyond what Henrietta went through, but what we often don't realize about the ownership of our own cells. Rebecca Skloot did a very thorough investigation into the life of Henrietta Lacks and it shows in her writing and the care she showed towards the family.

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Lori Hymowitz , January 02, 2012
By far the best book I have read in years. Well-written story. Read this book.

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lynnforeman , January 01, 2012
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an expose. An Expose of racism, exploitation, experimentation on poor African American citizens. Mrs Lacks was a patient at a famous hospital where her cells were taken, grown and found to sustain life and multiply rapidly. Cells taken from other patients did not reproduce or sustain life. Mrs Lacks cells, named HL, brought profit to sellers & buyers, hospitals & researchers, the medical & pharmacy industries while she, her children and grandchildren lived & suffered in poverty. Their lives were tumultuous. Often the results of poverty overcame them. Sustance abuse, broken marriages, poor schooling, inability to qualify and hold jobs, physical & psycological needs untreated all were part of their lot. Only infrequently did members of this family eke out normal, but not adequately funded, lives. Now, Rebecca Skloot has carefully researched the history of the family & of HL cells. Skloot gained trust of some family members and published the whole story. She reported on the injustice inflicked on this family. She has pledged profits from the book to the decendents of Henrietta Lacks. This is why this is the most important book I read this year.

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Baker , January 01, 2012
Excellent multi-faceted story. Reading this book was an education in racial discrimination wrt medical care, legal issues around genetics, this family's difficulties, and what it takes to research a story like this. Absolutely riveting.

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belladaball , January 01, 2012
This story engages the reader from the first moment the reading begins. Rebecca Skloot has researched this entire story so completely and so the reader becomes immediately engaged in the myriad details, twists and turns that ultimately lead to the discovery of Henrietta Lackes' place in history. Because the author has such respect for Henrietta Lackes and her family - and successfully conveys that respect - I was fully living each detail. The likelihood of the ultimate outcome of the story seems so remote, given the complexity of all of the various events that had to occur in the order they did, yet Rebecca Skloot has given us history, mystery, serious information, and pathos all in one volume - and all true.

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jtraczyk65 , January 01, 2012
Excellent read! The author took very complex subjects, such as cancer, race, poverty, medical ethics and told the story of the Lack's family with compassion and made it approachable and readable, like a novel, not like a science text. I highly recommend this book! This book was also oddly prophetic for me as I was diagnosed with cancer myself in the fall of this year.

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Catherine The Great , January 01, 2012
Outstanding information that should be required reading for freshmen high school students and higher grades.

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curlygirly9 , January 01, 2012 (view all comments by curlygirly9)
This is one of the most amazing books you will ever read. And the fact that it is a true story makes it fascinating on so many levels. You will cry, laugh, and be furious at times, but what an amazing read.

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oregonreader_73 , January 01, 2012 (view all comments by oregonreader_73)
A vital book on medical ethics of today. The story is as fascinating on its own merits as it is as a mechanism that prompts self-introspection, leading one to examine his or her own values and beliefs regarding medical research and handling of tissue. As a bonus, the book is also well-written and an easy, interesting read.

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seaotter , January 01, 2012
This is an amazing book. Very well written. But to think that a person's privacy could be violated in this way is unbelievable.

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lizapierce , January 01, 2012
A very approachable read, both in it's covering of the medical side of things, and the personal side of the story.

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match , January 01, 2012
Riveting....

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NW Portland Reader , January 01, 2012
This was my choice for best read of 2011. A very readable mix blending science, race, poverty, family, and religion and all in a nonfiction book. This is a story that needed to be told and it was told wonderfully. This woman, Henrietta Lacks will now be truly immortal for both her contribution to science and medicine and for this beautiful story that should never be forgotten.

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PL , January 01, 2012
This is an incredible story. Makes you stop and think.

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Rebecca Rosas , January 01, 2012 (view all comments by Rebecca Rosas)
I could not put it down. The science aspects were fascinating and the human side kept me enraptured. The contribution of Henrietta Lacks to our society is incalculable what this woman went through is unfathomable. Don't start this unless you have time to finish it!

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jlener , January 01, 2012
This was absolutely the best book I read this past year. It was full of science, ethics, sorrow and love, as well as a triumphant spirit. I love books that allow me to learn while being thoroughly captivated and entertained and this book certainly exceeded all others.

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Kathryn P. Wood , January 01, 2012
Rebecca Skloot does an excellent job of telling the story of HeLa, cells used by scientists around the globe, and Henrietta Lacks, the woman from whom the original HeLa cells were taken.

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pastorsgarden7 , January 01, 2012
We used this book for a book club, and it was wonderful. We got to go and hear Skloot in person. It was amazing to see how Henrietta's DNA was used to save millions of people, yet her family not only didn't know it, but also they were not compensated in any way for this amazing gift for the world. Filled with the scientific and the emotional, this story is a good read.The stunning capabilities of a single person's tissue makes a teachable moment.

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boehnlei , October 31, 2011 (view all comments by boehnlei)
I fell down on my reading this month because I hadn't found a really gripping book to read. But this one took me by storm and wouldn't let me go until I'd reached the last period. It was fast paced nonfiction with human interest that, like Zeitoun, read like a novel. I learned so much about science and medical history- just fascinating! There was also much social justice issues present- racial, historic, just plain unfair. Skloot is extremely knowledgable and technical but makes inaccessible subjects like the history of medicine extremely approachable. Now I want to read more!

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msrita_ca , October 21, 2011 (view all comments by msrita_ca)
I want to read this book! I heard the interview with the author and the story is fascinating. If I win I'll buy the book 8-)

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readingfan1958 , October 20, 2011 (view all comments by readingfan1958)
I found this book fascinating, and hard to put down. The sadness of Lack's short life, the pain her family went through for so many decades, and the difficulty in talking about their beloved relative moved me to tears. The many stories of medicine's secrecy in so many areas during the mid-20th century is sad, but to put a face on this amazing story is commendable of Rebecca Skloot. Although memory is never perfect, what the family recalled was true enough, and the records clear enough, to make this a compelling read.

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Penni4 , September 26, 2011 (view all comments by Penni4)
I am the type of reader who likes to read both fiction and non-fiction, making this book a good fit. I believe it is safe to say The Immortal Like of Henrietta Lacks walks the line of truth and memory. Memory is not always the best thing to rely on. That said, it is an interesting story. I enjoyed the style of jumping from the story of the cells, to the story of the Lacks family. It kept the book interesting. It amazes me, in talking with friends who are scientists who have likely used these cells, how no one seems to know the cells history. It is also interesting to be reminded how far we have come with medicine and with patient rights. I am glad Ms. Skloot pursued writing this book, as I believe the story needed to be told. If the topic interests you, I recommend reading this book.

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SaraK , September 20, 2011
A fascinating nonfiction tale about a poor black woman whose cells are continuing to live today and are used in countless clinical trials, even while her poverty-stricken, uneducated family lives without any understanding of what has been done. This book combines everything fascinating about this story - the science, the history, the ethics, the social issues, the personal experiences the author had with the family. The reader learns, but even more than that, she begins to care about the people involved. Skloot does an amazing job of not simplifying the issues into black and white, but showing there are so many shades of grey when it comes to medical rights and injustices. Fascinating.

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Brooke Raymond , September 20, 2011
This non-fiction book reads like a novel and is extremely engrossing and hard to put down. It's a fascinating, partly shameful tale of the intersection of medical research and scientific advancement with a singular woman and her family. Rebecca Skloot invested 1,000 hours of interviews and spent ten years of her life researching and writing this book in order to find out who was the unknown patient behind the He-La cells, upon which countless medical advances and riches have been realized. I've shared The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks with four people at work, and they've all loved it as well. I plan to keep passing it on!

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chellaiko , September 10, 2011 (view all comments by chellaiko)
I wish I could tell the author what an amazing job she did and that I'm so glad she didn't give up. This book is about Henrietta and her family but it's also a tale of society, science and struggle. It is incredible how far we have come as a society and how far we still have to go. I'm glad that Henrietta Lacks is finally getting some of the credit she deserves and I hope millions of other people get a chance to read this book. (Thanks Colbert for introducing it to me!)

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jksquires , September 05, 2011 (view all comments by jksquires)
This book was advertised as a page turner--not an uncommon selling point, but I found out it truly was. The author did an incredible job of research and talking with the surviving Lacks family members and securing their trust. She made the science involved easily understandable for those readers without a science background. In fact, she made the story of Henrietta and her legacy fascinating.

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purplelilac , September 01, 2011
Terry Gross ruined this book for me. Rebecca Skloot did a spectacular job (and obviously a hard one) in researching this book. She covered Henrietta's life, the lives of all her relevant family members, HeLa science and the medical treatment of blacks in mid-century America. She faltered on two points: her prose and her willingness to discuss the topic. Her writing, if unsophisticated, did help the book in that it read like a novel--full of human interest and scientific detective work. My biggest complaint is that some of the information was repetitive, or it was to me. I listened to Skloot interviewed on Fresh Air and, though it was a great interview (and I do love TG), I feel it negated the need for me to read the book. Henrietta's whole life story, the history of HeLa, and Deborah's lifelong struggles all came out in that 37 minute talk. Terry did her job too well. Although I didn't necessarily love this book I rate it highly and would happily recommend it to anyone looking for a scientifically interesting book who HASN'T listened to that Fresh Air episode!

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80baby , September 01, 2011
A page turner! I read it in a week. I liked it so much that I bought copies and gave them to my friends and family!

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Brenda J Stratton , September 01, 2011 (view all comments by Brenda J Stratton)
I read this book for the book group I belong to and found it well worth the read. Rebecca did a good job of balancing all sides of the story of Henrietta and her cells.

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Infomom , September 01, 2011 (view all comments by Infomom)
Readable, informative, presents really interesting issues to think about.

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l_hymowitz , September 01, 2011
Hands down best book of 2010-2011. This is a quick read that will make you angry, heart-broken, laugh, and rise to action. One of my favorite books ever. I recommend it to any- and everyone. What are you waiting for - go get this book.

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achordlyn , September 01, 2011
interesting and noteworthy historical data presented with heart-breaking bio of Henrietta. She was a heroione for all mankind. The years of research done by the author did not lessen her empathy for the survivors of Henrietta.

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chawkey , March 29, 2011 (view all comments by chawkey)
I continually am amazed at how far tissue/cell culture has come since the 1950s. Well written, it draws in the reader and captures their attention. It reads like a story, not a history lesson. I get fired up reading parts about lack of consent and doctors that abused their privileges, but then am drawn into sorrow for a family that can’t afford health care… Highly suggested for any reader�"especially anyone going into science. A must!!!

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Product Details

ISBN:
9781400052189
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
03/08/2011
Publisher:
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE
Pages:
400
Height:
1.15IN
Width:
5.25IN
Thickness:
1.25
Number of Units:
1
Illustration:
Yes
Copyright Year:
2011
Author:
Rebecca Skloot
Author:
Rebecca Skloot
Subject:
History
Subject:
Health and Medicine-History of Medicine

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