Book Notes: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is riveting. In brief, science writer, Rebecca Skloot gave 10 years of her life to get the whole story of Henrietta Lacks and her prolific cells. Skloot spends part of the book on the science and technology of cells and research. The bulk of her book however, is on who Henrietta was, and the family she left behind including five young children.

Henrietta was 31 when she died of extremely aggressive cervical cancer. The aggressive cells were the first to survive in a petri-dish, but they did more than survive they absolutely thrived, and they soon became the sole testing cells for all medical research. The book brings up a host of morality questions while keeping the focus on the people that moral judgments affect. Skloot’s drive and compassion are obvious and I’m curious what she’s up to next!

I can see how science-purists would not enjoy this book, it spends a lot of time on Henrietta's life, intimacy among cousins, incest and mental instability. As a Sociology fan, I was fascinated by the story and it’s presence was essential for me to enjoy a Science-based book.




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