From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Rebecca Skloot

Start date: June 1, 2014

Finish date: June 30, 2014

Discussion: Group Reads Discussions

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Group Reads Discussions

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last updated Jan 18, 2013 07:12PM

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Nov 17, 2011 Lisa of Hopewell rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio-books, read-in-2012, ala-notable-nonfiction, audies, npr-books-of-the-year, guardian-best-21st-century, national-academies-communication-aw, wellcome-book-prize

WOW! So much to take in here. Her family is almost an anthropological study--so isolated were they by post-slavery America, then Jim Crow, then no education. Add to that the ideas of "appropriate" scientific research rendered null by Nurenburg--and just plain Wow. Listening to her daughter's story should be required for anyone who doubts that women and children need REAL protection under law from abusive men.

My current audio book. ...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Erica rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed the book and really liked the tone of it. It makes you really do a double take to think that the state of medical authorization was so backwards only 30-40 years ago. I had no idea that "we" experimented so freely on blacks and prisoners, and it really blows me away that researchers thought nothing of it. It is intriguing how our morés change in so short a span.
The book was really lacking on science though. The human element was so well done, but I was left with so many questio ...more

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Oct 05, 2016 Rebecca rated it really liked it

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Sep 19, 2011 Jenna rated it it was amazing

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Jan 02, 2012 Chris Hammer added it

Nov 30, 2021 Christine rated it it was amazing

Feb 25, 2012 Lisa rated it liked it

Mar 21, 2012 Catherine rated it really liked it

Apr 19, 2012 Jen marked it as to-read

Apr 30, 2012 Dawn marked it as to-read

May 05, 2012 Amy rated it really liked it

May 08, 2012 Georgia Carvalho rated it really liked it

Oct 06, 2016 Kirsten Barber rated it really liked it

Shelves: time-period-1950s, own, level-adult, topic-history, genre-non-fiction, genre-biography, topic-medical, setting-usa, setting-maryland, setting-virginia