From the Bookshelf of Diversity in All Forms!…

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Rebecca Skloot

Start date: December 1, 2018

Finish date: December 30, 2018

Discussion: Monthly Group Reads

Why we're reading this: The diversity topic we will cover in December is Disease & Illness.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks b…more
[close] The diversity topic we will cover in December is Disease & Illness.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

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What Members Thought

Nov 15, 2011 Meg - A Bookish Affair rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science, non-fiction

I had heard a ton of really good things about this book but just hadn't gotten around to reading it yet so I was very excited when my book club picked to read the book. I ended up having to buy a copy (my book club is usually pretty good about picking books that are already at the library to lessen the burden on us) because there was still a crazy long wait list at the library and the book is already almost two years old! I always get excited about books that have been out for awhile but still h ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Mar 06, 2013 Stacey rated it it was amazing

Fantastic! What fascinating research and the depth of the family involvement in the writing of this book put a human element to these 'cells' used for medical science. ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Jan 02, 2013 Christina rated it liked it

Shelves: cultural-african-american, non-fiction, adult, book-club, biography, history, historical, science, medical, health-medical

I had been meaning to read this book for some time, but never got around to it until now. This book did pique my interest because of its historical context and African American culture, but that's where it ends unfortunately. I do appreciate the author trying to educate us on Henrietta Lacks and her contribution to science, by introducing us to the infamous HeLa cells that are now used throughout the world to discover cures to diseases and vaccines for many debilitating conditions. However, I am I had been meaning to read this book for some time, but never got around to it until now. This book did pique my interest because of its historical context and African American culture, but that's where it ends unfortunately. I do appreciate the author trying to educate us on Henrietta Lacks and her contribution to science, by introducing us to the infamous HeLa cells that are now used throughout the world to discover cures to diseases and vaccines for many debilitating conditions. However, I am reminded by a review I read, and I agree that this book is about the author writing a book about Henrietta and not really about Henrietta and her family. I wanted to learn more about who Henrietta was as a person and how her life was "Immortal"... but that's not what I got. I got a book about an author writing a book... and the overwhelming amount of science in this book wasn't really that fascinating. If I wanted to read a book about cell formation, I'd pick up a science book and read about cell formation. I didn't want to pick up a biography and read a science book about cell formation. I was disappointed in the overall package that this book had to offer.

It is unfortunate that her family suffered greatly through life without health insurance or money to get help or assistance with things they really needed, but the family wasn't really educated or had any real skill to help themselves, especially once the tobacco industry panned out. Their lives were bound to end in disaster. Even if they were to reap any benefits from Henrietta's cells I don't think much success would have come from that generation anyways... sad, but true. Henrietta was also uneducated, and pretty much caused the demise of her health... she didn't get seen for timely treatments, she withheld vital information from her family, and she went untreated for years from diseases she caught from her own husband... and she sought treatment too late for her cancer...

She lived in a time where that was normal unfortunately. A lot of black people suffered from ignorance in those times... especially because of the racial disparities that existed at that time. However, this book, in my opinion was not about the "immortal life of Henrietta," it was a book about Rebecca Skloot writing a book about HeLa cells and the donor it came from. She may have reached out and developed friendships with Henrietta's family, but that's what reporters and authors do to get good stories. I really wasn't impressed with the book... I wonder how the movie will turn out... maybe that will be more about Henrietta Lacks and giving due honor to what her cells did for science than the book did.

I give this book a 3. Wouldn't really recommend this as a read though... just being honest. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 09, 2010 Susanne rated it really liked it

Shelves: science, non-fiction, 5-audiobook, 7-books-i-own, 1-adult

My edition: audiobook
Recommend: yes
Reread(listen): yes, in a couple years

My Review
This isn't just the story of Henrietta Lacks. It's the story of the author trying to discover Henrietta's story so she could write this book. It's the story of her family. It's about the people she meets along the way. It's a story of science and the development of a new field, thanks to Henrietta's cells. It tells of how rules regarding research was changed due to experiments using HeLa cells. (The absolute prolif ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 15, 2013 Melissa Rochelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, own, science, read-2013

This book is both fascinating and frustrating. I enjoyed learning more about the woman and family behind the cells, but I would have liked to learn a little more about what the cells have done. By the end, the science of the cells seemed to have been left behind to just focus on the family. The book raises so many questions about consent and privacy. SO MANY. Definitely an interesting book for a book club discussion.

I highly recommend this, And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS ...more

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Aug 27, 2011 Janice rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This was a great book. An amazing case study of a person who inadvertently donated her cancerous cells for scientific research but at the same time while contributing so much for the world in cures for polio, immunizations for cervical cancer and advancement in AIDS research, caused grief for her family.
Skloot is a wonderful writer. Though she had to move around in the story line she placed a time line at the beginning of each chapter which helped me keep it all together. This book intrigued me ...more

1 like · Like · see review