The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Mar 01, 2021 katy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book was sooo fascinating. I knew a lot of about the history of the scientific advancements, but not about HeLa or about the impact that the cells had on how the scientific and medical communities had to set up regulations and standards that they hadn't needed or didn't care to need before.

And I knew NOTHING about Henrietta and her family. The way the book so carefully brings to life their struggles, similar to so many other Black Americans, I thought was graceful and eye opening. And expl ...more

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Jul 05, 2015 Megan rated it really liked it

Shelves: bookclub-ish, nonficadu, finished-2015

Riddle me this: how is it ok for people to be expected to allow their bodily tissues to be used for scientific research (some of which may compromise people's personal ethics) which often results in profits of millions, even billions, of dollars, for big pharma and other biological corporations, yet it is too much to ask for healthcare to be available at an affordable price for said people? And by said people, I mean pretty much anyone who has visited a doctor in their lifetime, including being ...more

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Feb 18, 2017 Chris Chappelear rated it it was amazing

This was one of the best books I have ever read. Well-researched, well-written, educational, and hard to put down. I might be biased since I lived in Baltimore when I read it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hear HBO has made something based on this and I can't wait to see it. ...more

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Dec 17, 2020 Debbie rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

This would be a fascinating book club book. The discussions of medical ethics and privacy laws are worth having, especially where they intersect with racism, classism, and the damned patriarchy.

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