The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

 

This is the true story of how cells taken in 1951 from Henrietta Lacks, a poor black woman, have been used ever since as one of the most important cell lines in medical research. For some reason, these cells, called HeLa, would continuously divide, unlike any other cells previously known. They became an invaluable tool in the development of the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping and more.

The author has done exhaustive research into the background of Henrietta and her family. She writes about their ignorance concerning what was done by the medical establishment... they didn't learn about the cells until more than 20 years after they were taken. And she writes about the whole issue of medical ethics, dealing with racial politics and the even broader issue of informed consent.

This is a fascinating book. I was totally unaware of the HeLa cells previously, so found the story so interesting. At the same time the treatment of the Lacks family, who couldn't even afford proper healthcare themselves, while companies were making money selling the HeLa cells, was really maddening. The author writes about the family in such a compassionate way, even while talking about their foibles and faults.

At the end of the book the author has included several helpful reference chapters, Where Are They Now, an Afterword, a Cast of Characters, a timeline, notes, and an index, among others. There are also a few pages of photos of the family and the doctors.

I would highly recommend this well written book to everyone. You will not regret reading it.