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

Mar 05, 2017 Suzy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-faves, secrets, non-fiction, listened-to, mia-book-tours, movie-fave, biography

I was completely in the thrall of author Rebecca Skloot while listening to the audio of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. This is at once a scientific story of Henrietta's cancer cells, called HeLa, which were harvested from her as she was dying from cervical cancer in 1951. These are the first human cells to become "immortal", perpetuating themselves even to today, and being used in many important health discoveries including polio vaccines, in vitro fertilization, aids research, cancer dru I was completely in the thrall of author Rebecca Skloot while listening to the audio of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. This is at once a scientific story of Henrietta's cancer cells, called HeLa, which were harvested from her as she was dying from cervical cancer in 1951. These are the first human cells to become "immortal", perpetuating themselves even to today, and being used in many important health discoveries including polio vaccines, in vitro fertilization, aids research, cancer drugs and too many others to mention. It is also the story of Henrietta and her family, who had no idea that their mother's cells were taken or the importance of the cells to medicine. Her children learn about this from Skloot's research and this knowledge causes misunderstandings and various reactions in Henrietta's adult children from some wanting financial remuneration to others just wanting their mother to be honored and respected for her contribution to science. My heart went out to Henrietta and her family who, because they were poor and black, were treated, and lived, as second class citizens. They are often at the mercy of their many health problems through lack of education, lack of access to health insurance and suspicions about the medical establishment. It seems so unjust! (Thanks to GR friend Will Byrnes for posting this NY Times article on the consent agreement reached with the family finally . . . 62 years later. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/08/sci...)

At first I found the structure of the book a little frustrating because it jumped in both time and storyline, but once I decided to just flow with it, I was completely engaged. I think listening helped. It was as if the author was telling her story just to me, and that I was discovering it side-by-side with her. There are so many layers, that my thought is there's something to connect to for everyone based on a reader's interests coming to the book. Skloot reveals early in the book that she learned about HeLa in a biology class when she was younger and decided then and there to research and write about them. Little did she know that she would be telling the story of the Lacks family right along with the scientific importance of the cells. I appreciated the interview at the end of the audio where Skloot tells us how she decided on the focus and the structure of the book.

This was the February book club pick at our wonderful art museum here in Minneapolis, and I enjoyed the discussion. I'm eagerly anticipating the HBO movie based on the book which will be aired April 22 here in the States. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5686132/ ...more

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Oct 23, 2018 Menjol Almeida rated it really liked it

Shelves: science

My main interest in reading this book was to deepen my knowledge about science and the search for an amazing story. What I found, however, was much more than that. The book deals with the curious history of Henrietta Lacks and how her cells have helped in the scientific progress around the world, but also deals with the lives of her children, especially Deborah Lacks, one of her daughters, her anguish at her mother´s absence, the dificult ethical questions faced by the family regarding the use o ...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Heather rated it really liked it

Shelves: racial-justice

This book was tragic, eye-opening and moving. A non-fiction look at one woman, her family, how unfairly treated black people were treated before Civil Rights, and since. At times, I wanted to put it down, but the author did a good job of keeping me interested since, as she investigated, she took me along for the ride. she also did a good job of balancing the scientific data with the personal story. It would have been easy to overdo the scientific portion with this subject. But she alternated tha ...more

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Dec 10, 2011 ToniG rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook, 2012, reviewed

I liked this book because I learned a little of about who Henrietta Lacks was and a little about cell mutation.

The only problem was that this book seemed to be more about the writers journey to seek the story of Henrietta Lacks versus the true story of her life and her after life still in existence.

I also hoped that her family was compensated somehow from the fact that the patients cells were being used without knowing authorization from the family or patient.

Bottom Line: Enjoyed it well enou ...more

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