The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks in Crazy Challenge Connection

Nov 01, 2016 Jess Penhallow rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 1940s, 1960s, 1950s, usa, 21st-century

This is a very important book for any scientist who works with people (or parts of people). We always need to ensure that the needs of our participants are put first and that they have a complete understanding of what they are taking part in particularly those in often neglected communities.

This book really affected me and I highly recommend it.

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May 20, 2020 Chelsey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-star-books, worth-the-hype, recommended-for-everyone, read-in-2020

4.5 Stars

Note: As always when I review nonfiction, my review and rating reflect my opinion of the writing style, presentation and organization of the material, and the readability of the book for informational gains. I am not reviewing or rating the life of Henrietta or any of the Lacks family. :)

This book has been hyped for many, many years now and it is definitely worth it. I had always wanted to read it, but never got around to it. Now that my physical libraries are closed and I am learning 4.5 Stars

Note: As always when I review nonfiction, my review and rating reflect my opinion of the writing style, presentation and organization of the material, and the readability of the book for informational gains. I am not reviewing or rating the life of Henrietta or any of the Lacks family. :)

This book has been hyped for many, many years now and it is definitely worth it. I had always wanted to read it, but never got around to it. Now that my physical libraries are closed and I am learning to embrace Ebooks, I checked this out through the Libby app. What a good choice!

The organization of the information was the highlight of this book. For a book that covers 50+ years, inserting the information in a coherent way was important. I think Skloot did an excellent job presenting the story of Henrietta and her cells in a straightforward and easy to understand manner.

Another highlight of this book is the way Skloot portrays Deborah and other members of the Lacks family. The portrayal of all these people comes off as genuine and real; I never felt like they were caricatures or that she was being disrespectful in the way she chose to discuss them. I wish I could have met Deborah. She seems so fun and interesting. I just love the way Skloot told an important story but also introduced us to some really wonderful people.

The author does a good job mixing in enough scientific information to understand what was happening and what context was needed without ever over dumping information. If you have little to no science background you can 100% still read and enjoy this book. Which is another reason to love this book - this is meant to be a telling of Henrietta Lacks' life and her contributions to science. This is meant to tell THE WORLD about her, not just science whizzes who can understand difficult terminology. The fact that this book can be picked up and read by anyone is even more of an honor to Henrietta's memory.

There really isn't much more to say. This is a straightforward, heart wrenching book that will make you hate the injustices of the world even more while learning about an incredible woman and her unforgettable family and legacy. If this book has ever even remotely interested you, definitely go pick it up! ...more

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Jan 12, 2024 Tina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2024-around-the-year-in-52-books, 2024-zimski-knjižni-bingo, best-read-in-2024

I am very grateful to the author Skloot for writing this book!
Simple language, interesting style, wonderful snippets of the life of Henrietta and her relatives.

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Mar 08, 2021 Karen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, audiobook, nonfiction-book-club

I was so surprised to find out this was published in 2010 - I thought it was published so much more recently! Anyway - I'm very glad it appeared on my radar. I listened to the audio version read by Cassandra Campbell and Bahni Turpin, both excellent readers. Talk about truth being stranger than fiction, this was an amazing, if often terribly sad, story. Henrietta died at a young age of cervical cancer but somewhat miraculously her cancer cells survive her even today. HeLa cells, as they are now ...more

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Jun 20, 2020 Maggie Shanley rated it really liked it

Shelves: suggested-for-me

Very well written story of cancer, medical research and family history in Baltimore and Virginia. This book does not spell out how you should feel about cell culture and tissue research, it takes you through the story of Henrietta and her cervical cancer. Her children are damaged by her death and struggle to understand the science. Skloot introduces readers to both the scientists and the family and gives both perspectives about cell research. This was an informative thoughtful book, but this top ...more

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Apr 02, 2015 Eileen rated it really liked it

Shelves: recent-favorites

An important, interesting story on many levels and one that invites reflection and discussion. Recommended for those interested in medicine, bioethics, molecular biology/cancer research, and African-American history. Recommended for book clubs.

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Jul 14, 2013 Rachel C. rated it really liked it

So, I wrote a review for this when I read it but accidentally deleted a whole bunch of reviews when I was reorganizing my shelves... So I guess I just have to read them all again so I can give accurate reviews :D

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