The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
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Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer, yet her cells--taken without her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer and viruses; helped lead to in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and show more have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks is buried in an unmarked grave. Her family did not learn of her "immortality" until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. The story of the Lacks family is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of. show lessTags
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Member Recommendations
VenusofUrbino If you like well-researched and well-written non-fiction like "Immortal Life" then you will also appreciate Mary Roach.
93
bunnygirl personal history and stories linked with the larger African American history. if you were wondering about Skloot's reference to the Lacks family being part of the Great Migration, this book explains exactly what it is and tells the stories of three families in a similar manner.
50
krazy4katz Reading "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," I was pained by the impoverished lives of people who still lived on plantations in the 1940s - lack of schooling, lack of health care, lack of any kind of decent housing etc. "A Lesson Before Dying" more directly addresses the life of people still living on plantations in the '40s. Even though I sort of knew this, it was an emotional shock to truly recognize that all the abuse and oppression did not end with the Civil War but was still there 80 years later.
40
sboyte Fascinating stories of the people behind great scientific discoveries.
20
LeesyLou If you have an interest in the social and personal ethics and background of medical care, this adds to your understanding. Minority cultures and personal medical ethics are equally poorly understood by many practitioners.
21
akblanchard In both books, journalists get personally involved with their subjects.
BookshelfMonstrosity Cell cultures are being used to study diseases as well as cure them. Learn about the cell cultures called 'HeLa' in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and read about cell cultures' utility as a whole in Life Itself.
krazy4katz Both of these books capture and humanize the process of medical discovery and the experiences of the patients. Although the authors have somewhat different backgrounds — Rebecca Skloot is a journalist with an undergraduate degree in biology, whereas Rikki Lewis has a PhD in genetics — I think the discussion of the scientific issues and the ethical issues regarding informed consent would appeal to the same readers.
Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South by Beth Macy
akblanchard Unusual medical conditions and racism as experienced by African Americans in the Jim Crow South.
macart3 Deals with bioethics and human experimentation without others' consent.
12
nessreader Acts of exploitation by the medical establishment.
Limelite Scientific discussion of medical/ethical, and other considerations regarding patients' rights and the medical profession's responsibilities on the subject, as well as other pertinent procedures.
13
Member Reviews
Wow - how in the world did I wait so long to read this? This book was mind blowing and powerful - as someone who doesn't easily grasp science - I had a firm grip on what I was reading. Written as narrative non-fiction, Rebecca Skloot does an amazing job chronicling the tragically short life of Henrietta Lacks, the ethics of taking her cells, the science and amazing discovery from her cells, and the aftermath when her family finds out more than two decades after her death that pieces of their mother still live on all over the world. Rebecca did a fantastic job not only with the moral dilemmas, but with the racial component too. I learned SOO MUCH out of this. I hate science. but I loved this book. I'm so glad that Henrietta Lacks finally show more got the recognition as well as her family for all that they went through. Fascinating stuff. show less
In the 1950s, a poor African-American woman named Henrietta Lacks went to Johns Hopkins hospital for treatment of cervical cancer. Without her knowledge, some of her cancerous cells were scraped from her body, put into culture, and grown. As her cells multiplied at astounding rates, they were distributed throughout the country and came to be influential in many medical research studies from creating the polio vaccine to mapping DNA. Meanwhile, her children suffered the loss of their mother at a young age and consequently grew up in poverty and abuse, lacking education and health care. Science writer Rebecca Skloot made it her mission to get Henrietta's story told and her decades of research lead to this book.
This was such a fantastic show more read. It was thought-provoking and led to many questions that lack easy answers (particularly those related to biomedical ethics) and no clear-cut "bad guys." It is scientific and though some of that science was a bit over my head, the book is not bogged down with excessive details that are too hard to understand. Skloot also provides a great deal of historical details to place everything into context. And last but certainly not least, the Lacks family plays a large role in the book, making the book ultimately a human story of suffering and of hope.
The book is not told strictly in chronological order, but it flows in a way that makes perfect sense. I was very impressed with the writing and the storytelling. After years of hearing hype about this book, I was a little bit hesitant that it would not be able to live up to that, but it did and then some.
Photographs, extensive notes, a timeline, and other back matter make for a well-rounded nonfiction book that allows the reader to examine more on their own if desired. show less
This was such a fantastic show more read. It was thought-provoking and led to many questions that lack easy answers (particularly those related to biomedical ethics) and no clear-cut "bad guys." It is scientific and though some of that science was a bit over my head, the book is not bogged down with excessive details that are too hard to understand. Skloot also provides a great deal of historical details to place everything into context. And last but certainly not least, the Lacks family plays a large role in the book, making the book ultimately a human story of suffering and of hope.
The book is not told strictly in chronological order, but it flows in a way that makes perfect sense. I was very impressed with the writing and the storytelling. After years of hearing hype about this book, I was a little bit hesitant that it would not be able to live up to that, but it did and then some.
Photographs, extensive notes, a timeline, and other back matter make for a well-rounded nonfiction book that allows the reader to examine more on their own if desired. show less
This book was stupendous. Henrietta Lacks' story was both sad and angering. The treatment she underwent for her tumor seems barbaric now, though it was state of the art then. And it's hard not to see the researchers as callous, caring more about the tumor cells than the woman.
Rebecca Skloot spent many years writing this book, and the detail is wonderful. She paints a sympathetic picture of Henrietta's family and what they went through during Henrietta's life and after her death. She is unflinching in her descriptions of the hair-raising things that researchers did to other people in the name of science.
In the end there are no pat resolutions on the subject of medical ethics, tissue rights, etc. There is plenty of food for thought, show more though.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm glad my sister made me read it. show less
Rebecca Skloot spent many years writing this book, and the detail is wonderful. She paints a sympathetic picture of Henrietta's family and what they went through during Henrietta's life and after her death. She is unflinching in her descriptions of the hair-raising things that researchers did to other people in the name of science.
In the end there are no pat resolutions on the subject of medical ethics, tissue rights, etc. There is plenty of food for thought, show more though.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm glad my sister made me read it. show less
Science writer Rebecca Sloot dives into a study of medical ethics in the United States, (and the lack thereof), in this book about the theft of the HeLa cells, taken without consent or knowledge from the cancer ridden body of Henrietta Lacks, (an impoverished, thirty year old black mother of small children who was wracked with cervical cancer), while she was in the hospital for treatment. Her family was distressed. "Everybody always says Henrietta Lacks donated those cells but she didn't donate nothing. They took them and didn't ask."
Since 1951, the study of Henrietta's duable, prolific cells, (the first immortal cell line), led to breakthroughs in research and trials from the polio vaccine to in vitro fertilization, gene mapping, and show more cloning.
Henrietta was a pilfered pioneer; her cells sold to medical labs the world over, made millions of dollars for medical industry, but those profiting failed to inform, obtain consent, or compensate Henrietta's family, who were repeatedly lied to by doctors. The family was horror stricken when, decades later, they found out their mother's cells were being kept alive in labs, sent into outer space, and put through countless trials; they wondered if Henrietta's soul was suffering from these scientific experiements.
"Hopkins say they gave them cells away," Lawrence, yelled, "but they made millions. It's not fair! She's the most important person in the world and her family living in poverty. If our mother so important to science, why can't we get health insurance?" The family never got a penny of the prodigious profit.
Skloot's book is a primarily a buddy story; the relationship is between the writer and Henrietta's daughter, Deborah, who grew up without her mother. Rebecca skillfully juggles a tale that features a history of rascism, poverty, and more as it relates to medical exploitation, along with the story of Deborah and the other Lackes as they struggle to make sense of what was done to their mother.
Another example of a biological patent appropriated without permission that Skloot includes in the book is that of John Moore. Moore had a rare cancer called hairy-cell Leukemia. His cells made rare proteins that could contribute to cancer therapies and the development of an AIDS vaccine.
Drug companies were willing to pay enormous sums to work with Moore's cells. Dr. David Golde, a cancer researcher at UCLA, told Moore he had to have his spleen removed and his tissue would be cremated. Golde, however, had entered into agreements with a biotech company that gave him stocks and financing worth more than $3.5 million to "commercially develop" and "scientifically investigate" the Mo cell line. At that point it's market value was estimated to be $3 billion.
"It was very dehumanizing to be thought of as Mo, to be referred to as Mo in the medical records: 'Saw Mo today' All of a sudden I was not the man Golde was putting his arm around, I was Mo, I was the cell line, like a piece of meat."
The idea of patient consent is a misleading formality overall. "The term informed consent first appeared in a document in 1957, in a civil court ruling on a patient named Martin Slago. He went under anesthesia for what he thought was a routine procedure and woke up permanently paralyzed from the waist down. The doctor hadn't told him the procedure carried any risks at all. The judge ruled against the doctor saying, "A physician violates his duty to the patient and subjects himself to liability if he withholds any facts which are necessary to form the basis of an intelligent consent by the patient to the proposed treatment. He wrote that there needed to be full disclosure of facts necessary to an informed consent."
Lack of honesty in the so-called medical consent process has created a profusion of problems for the public who rely on medical professionals to be fully candid and careful, not cavalier cons. As a patient safety activist, this story riled me up and raised even more questions about the medical industry than I had before. show less
Since 1951, the study of Henrietta's duable, prolific cells, (the first immortal cell line), led to breakthroughs in research and trials from the polio vaccine to in vitro fertilization, gene mapping, and show more cloning.
Henrietta was a pilfered pioneer; her cells sold to medical labs the world over, made millions of dollars for medical industry, but those profiting failed to inform, obtain consent, or compensate Henrietta's family, who were repeatedly lied to by doctors. The family was horror stricken when, decades later, they found out their mother's cells were being kept alive in labs, sent into outer space, and put through countless trials; they wondered if Henrietta's soul was suffering from these scientific experiements.
"Hopkins say they gave them cells away," Lawrence, yelled, "but they made millions. It's not fair! She's the most important person in the world and her family living in poverty. If our mother so important to science, why can't we get health insurance?" The family never got a penny of the prodigious profit.
Skloot's book is a primarily a buddy story; the relationship is between the writer and Henrietta's daughter, Deborah, who grew up without her mother. Rebecca skillfully juggles a tale that features a history of rascism, poverty, and more as it relates to medical exploitation, along with the story of Deborah and the other Lackes as they struggle to make sense of what was done to their mother.
Another example of a biological patent appropriated without permission that Skloot includes in the book is that of John Moore. Moore had a rare cancer called hairy-cell Leukemia. His cells made rare proteins that could contribute to cancer therapies and the development of an AIDS vaccine.
Drug companies were willing to pay enormous sums to work with Moore's cells. Dr. David Golde, a cancer researcher at UCLA, told Moore he had to have his spleen removed and his tissue would be cremated. Golde, however, had entered into agreements with a biotech company that gave him stocks and financing worth more than $3.5 million to "commercially develop" and "scientifically investigate" the Mo cell line. At that point it's market value was estimated to be $3 billion.
"It was very dehumanizing to be thought of as Mo, to be referred to as Mo in the medical records: 'Saw Mo today' All of a sudden I was not the man Golde was putting his arm around, I was Mo, I was the cell line, like a piece of meat."
The idea of patient consent is a misleading formality overall. "The term informed consent first appeared in a document in 1957, in a civil court ruling on a patient named Martin Slago. He went under anesthesia for what he thought was a routine procedure and woke up permanently paralyzed from the waist down. The doctor hadn't told him the procedure carried any risks at all. The judge ruled against the doctor saying, "A physician violates his duty to the patient and subjects himself to liability if he withholds any facts which are necessary to form the basis of an intelligent consent by the patient to the proposed treatment. He wrote that there needed to be full disclosure of facts necessary to an informed consent."
Lack of honesty in the so-called medical consent process has created a profusion of problems for the public who rely on medical professionals to be fully candid and careful, not cavalier cons. As a patient safety activist, this story riled me up and raised even more questions about the medical industry than I had before. show less
Epigraph: ”We must not see any person as an abstraction.
Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets,
with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish,
and with some measure of triumph.
----Elie Wiesel
from The Nazi Doctors and the Nuremberg Code ”
From Rebecca Skloot: “When I tell people the story of Henrietta Lacks and her cells, the first question is usually Wasn't it illegal for doctors to take Henrietta's cells without her knowledge? Don't doctors have to tell you when they use your cells in research? The answer is no--not in 1951, and not in 2009, when this book went to press.”
In 1951, a young black woman named Henrietta Lacks became a cancer patient at the famous (and infamous) Johns show more Hopkins hospital.
During an initial biopsy of a tumor on her cervix, a sample of the cells was also sent to Dr. George Gey's lab. Dr. Gey had attempted to grow human cells in the laboratory from hundreds of other samples and been unsuccessful. But Ms. Lacks' cells proved different. They grew and thrived and became an important and ubiquitous scientific tool which ended up revolutionizing the distribution of the polio vaccine, cancer and genetic research and many other specialties in the microbiological research world.
In some ways, the story of HeLa cells in laboratories parallels the story of the explosion of the internet. No one could foresee how both would thrive and change the world.
Henrietta Lack's family had no idea that her cells were being used. The family was both frightened and shocked when they discovered this fact, some twenty years later. They imagined the worst, believing that Henrietta's cells were somehow sentient; scientific techniques such as cell cloning and hybridization terrified them. They also questioned how an industry could earn billions of dollars using her cells, and yet they themselves were so poor they couldn't afford doctors or insurance.
It's an interesting story of medical ethics.
Rebecca Skloot presents the case that Ms Lacks had no knowledge that her cells were being used. Indeed, Johns Hopkins issued a statement confirming that version. Yet, it is reported that Dr. George Gey said he had talked with Henrietta before her death, a fact that Skloot mentions and dismisses. And courts decided there was no evidence one way or the other if Henrietta had given consent since whatever consent papers Lacks may have signed were destroyed. Cells grown from a second biopsy didn't grow. Neither did cells recovered at Ms. Lacks autopsy which the family gave permission for.
Skloot brings in many other medical ethics cases involving racism and the de-humanizing of research subjects. She also recounts other cell ownership cases. By telling these instances in parallel to the HeLa story, one is left with the distinct impression that a wrong was committed against Ms. Lacks.
There are medical inconsistencies throughout the book which bother me. For instances of page 16 in Henrietta's presenting notes: “Two months prior to current visit, after delivery of fifty child, patient had significant blood in urine. Tests showed areas of increased cellular activity in the cervix. Physician recommended diagnostics and referred to specialist for ruling out infection or cancer. Patient cancelled appointment.” On the next page, p 17, the doctor states “No note is made in the history at that time, or at the six weeks' return visit that there is any abnormality of the cervix.” “Yet here she was, three months later, with a full-fledged tumor. Either her doctors had missed it during her last exams- which seemed impossible or it had grown at a terrifying rate”.
There is one more issue that bothers me. That is medical privacy.
Skloot says “Dead people have no right to privacy.” It seems to me that an incredible error in judgment was made when one of the doctors released details about Henrietta Lacks and her medical records to a reporter for an article that appeared in Rolling Stone in the 70's. I acknowledge that without this leak, Henrietta's story would have been unknown and her family would never have been able to point with pride to her unique contribution.
But one of my questions is why did Skloot let her inner reporter loose to write about that the mental problems several of Henrietta's children had that were probably due to being born from a syphilitic mother? Did the Lacks' children and grandchildren know that these details were coming out in the book? How did these details of Henrietta's children tell the story of the HeLa cells other than making the book a bit more titillating? Henrietta appears to have been such a private person – keeping her cancer diagnosis away from her family even while she was having inpatient treatments. Would she have approved of this?
Skloot worked long and hard to gain the trust of Henrietta's daughter, Deborah, who felt that the family had been exploited at every turn. Deborah died before the book was published. How would she have felt about these details of her own medical history in the book?
So I'm torn about this book. It raises interesting medical ethics questions, blithely skips over other questions such as that of privacy, and leaves the majority of people who read with a rather false impression of the events; not by facts, but by the technique of combining this story with other stories where boundaries were clearly crossed. show less
Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets,
with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish,
and with some measure of triumph.
----Elie Wiesel
from The Nazi Doctors and the Nuremberg Code ”
From Rebecca Skloot: “When I tell people the story of Henrietta Lacks and her cells, the first question is usually Wasn't it illegal for doctors to take Henrietta's cells without her knowledge? Don't doctors have to tell you when they use your cells in research? The answer is no--not in 1951, and not in 2009, when this book went to press.”
In 1951, a young black woman named Henrietta Lacks became a cancer patient at the famous (and infamous) Johns show more Hopkins hospital.
During an initial biopsy of a tumor on her cervix, a sample of the cells was also sent to Dr. George Gey's lab. Dr. Gey had attempted to grow human cells in the laboratory from hundreds of other samples and been unsuccessful. But Ms. Lacks' cells proved different. They grew and thrived and became an important and ubiquitous scientific tool which ended up revolutionizing the distribution of the polio vaccine, cancer and genetic research and many other specialties in the microbiological research world.
In some ways, the story of HeLa cells in laboratories parallels the story of the explosion of the internet. No one could foresee how both would thrive and change the world.
Henrietta Lack's family had no idea that her cells were being used. The family was both frightened and shocked when they discovered this fact, some twenty years later. They imagined the worst, believing that Henrietta's cells were somehow sentient; scientific techniques such as cell cloning and hybridization terrified them. They also questioned how an industry could earn billions of dollars using her cells, and yet they themselves were so poor they couldn't afford doctors or insurance.
It's an interesting story of medical ethics.
Rebecca Skloot presents the case that Ms Lacks had no knowledge that her cells were being used. Indeed, Johns Hopkins issued a statement confirming that version. Yet, it is reported that Dr. George Gey said he had talked with Henrietta before her death, a fact that Skloot mentions and dismisses. And courts decided there was no evidence one way or the other if Henrietta had given consent since whatever consent papers Lacks may have signed were destroyed. Cells grown from a second biopsy didn't grow. Neither did cells recovered at Ms. Lacks autopsy which the family gave permission for.
Skloot brings in many other medical ethics cases involving racism and the de-humanizing of research subjects. She also recounts other cell ownership cases. By telling these instances in parallel to the HeLa story, one is left with the distinct impression that a wrong was committed against Ms. Lacks.
There are medical inconsistencies throughout the book which bother me. For instances of page 16 in Henrietta's presenting notes: “Two months prior to current visit, after delivery of fifty child, patient had significant blood in urine. Tests showed areas of increased cellular activity in the cervix. Physician recommended diagnostics and referred to specialist for ruling out infection or cancer. Patient cancelled appointment.” On the next page, p 17, the doctor states “No note is made in the history at that time, or at the six weeks' return visit that there is any abnormality of the cervix.” “Yet here she was, three months later, with a full-fledged tumor. Either her doctors had missed it during her last exams- which seemed impossible or it had grown at a terrifying rate”.
There is one more issue that bothers me. That is medical privacy.
Skloot says “Dead people have no right to privacy.” It seems to me that an incredible error in judgment was made when one of the doctors released details about Henrietta Lacks and her medical records to a reporter for an article that appeared in Rolling Stone in the 70's. I acknowledge that without this leak, Henrietta's story would have been unknown and her family would never have been able to point with pride to her unique contribution.
But one of my questions is why did Skloot let her inner reporter loose to write about that the mental problems several of Henrietta's children had that were probably due to being born from a syphilitic mother? Did the Lacks' children and grandchildren know that these details were coming out in the book? How did these details of Henrietta's children tell the story of the HeLa cells other than making the book a bit more titillating? Henrietta appears to have been such a private person – keeping her cancer diagnosis away from her family even while she was having inpatient treatments. Would she have approved of this?
Skloot worked long and hard to gain the trust of Henrietta's daughter, Deborah, who felt that the family had been exploited at every turn. Deborah died before the book was published. How would she have felt about these details of her own medical history in the book?
So I'm torn about this book. It raises interesting medical ethics questions, blithely skips over other questions such as that of privacy, and leaves the majority of people who read with a rather false impression of the events; not by facts, but by the technique of combining this story with other stories where boundaries were clearly crossed. show less
In [The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks], Skloot deftly manages to balance biography and science. Henrietta Lacks was a poor black woman who died of cervical cancer in the 1950s. While she was being treated at Johns Hopkins, tissue samples of her cancer were taken. The samples proved to be "immortal" and have been instrumental in medical research ever since.
Skloot first hears about these cells, HeLa, when she was a student and wanted to find out more about the woman they came from. She describes her efforts to talk to the family and we get to know Henrietta's children in the process. The family's story is fascinating and heartbreaking and serves to introduce many questions about medical research.
What makes this more than a biography show more are the questions raised -- both legal and ethical -- about the use of the cells. Skloot asks these questions in a clear, concise way that even people with no science background (like me) can understand. This is fascinating, and I'm sure we'll hear more about issues of consent and privacy in the future. If one's cells are sold, who gets the money? Readers may be surprised to learn that so far, patients have no right to body parts once they are separated from the body. With advances in medicine and research, we'll be hearing more about these issues; thanks to Skloot's book, I now have a basic understanding of them. show less
Skloot first hears about these cells, HeLa, when she was a student and wanted to find out more about the woman they came from. She describes her efforts to talk to the family and we get to know Henrietta's children in the process. The family's story is fascinating and heartbreaking and serves to introduce many questions about medical research.
What makes this more than a biography show more are the questions raised -- both legal and ethical -- about the use of the cells. Skloot asks these questions in a clear, concise way that even people with no science background (like me) can understand. This is fascinating, and I'm sure we'll hear more about issues of consent and privacy in the future. If one's cells are sold, who gets the money? Readers may be surprised to learn that so far, patients have no right to body parts once they are separated from the body. With advances in medicine and research, we'll be hearing more about these issues; thanks to Skloot's book, I now have a basic understanding of them. show less
As I began reading this book, I was taken by the force of the emotion expressed throughout. The book is well written and although it is technical it is easy to read. It will move you from page one until the end.
There is an implication in the book, that Henrietta, quite possibly, got substandard care because she was black. Their treatment often began later, medication was scarcer and black patients would not question white doctors who frequently treated them inequitably, in less than equal facilities. The alternate reason for her lack of diagnosis and, perhaps, improper treatment, is that those were the days when patients were kept from knowing the truth of their diagnosis because it was too frightening for them to handle. Yet, although show more there is evidence that she repeatedly complained, no cancer diagnosis was made until it was, abruptly, way too late and she died a painful, premature death, at 31.
The despicable act of experimenting on humans, without their consent, was common practice even as late as the fifties, especially, it seems, in the black population. Doctors who thought of themselves as G-dlike, believing the results of their research ultimately justified the means they used, duped their ill patients, without warning or advising them, of what they planned. They were experimental subjects and had no clue.
The author's research takes her to the landscape of Henrietta's life. At first, she was received by the family with skepticism, but in the end, they were very accepting of her effort to tell the world about their mother. The family had been abused by the medical profession. They were kept in the dark about their mother's illness and their lack of education kept them ignorant of the facts they needed to discover what had really happened. Had they understood, they quite possibly could have fought for an equitable distribution of profits, before the Statute of Limitations ran out. Sadly, while Henrietta'a cells afforded others, who had the means, innovative treatments, her own family could not afford anything but the most basic health care.
It is hard to read about the poverty of the Lacks’ existence and reconcile it with the wealth of information her cells have provided and the financial wealth, as well, that her cells have provided for those who used them to advance their research. Although they had so few creature comforts, no education and substandard health care, they had great faith and lived their lives supporting each other in life's unspeakably cruel arena. Most were proud that their mom’s cells were able to advance medicine and save lives. They only wished it might have also been used to save their own.
This is a sad book with tragic circumstances but the characters are real and so the impact of the story is profound. Life knocks them down and they keep getting up, trying to rise above the scars caused by the vast deprivation and evil around them and somehow they manage to face life in a simple spiritual way, with an ability to forgive. The component of faith, makes this book's ultimate message, more beautiful.
As an aside, at one point in the story, Rebecca more or less tells Deborah that if her book is published she will start a fund for the education of Henrietta's heirs. I wonder if she kept her promise or if she, like others, simply used the Lacks family to advance themselves and their projects. show less
There is an implication in the book, that Henrietta, quite possibly, got substandard care because she was black. Their treatment often began later, medication was scarcer and black patients would not question white doctors who frequently treated them inequitably, in less than equal facilities. The alternate reason for her lack of diagnosis and, perhaps, improper treatment, is that those were the days when patients were kept from knowing the truth of their diagnosis because it was too frightening for them to handle. Yet, although show more there is evidence that she repeatedly complained, no cancer diagnosis was made until it was, abruptly, way too late and she died a painful, premature death, at 31.
The despicable act of experimenting on humans, without their consent, was common practice even as late as the fifties, especially, it seems, in the black population. Doctors who thought of themselves as G-dlike, believing the results of their research ultimately justified the means they used, duped their ill patients, without warning or advising them, of what they planned. They were experimental subjects and had no clue.
The author's research takes her to the landscape of Henrietta's life. At first, she was received by the family with skepticism, but in the end, they were very accepting of her effort to tell the world about their mother. The family had been abused by the medical profession. They were kept in the dark about their mother's illness and their lack of education kept them ignorant of the facts they needed to discover what had really happened. Had they understood, they quite possibly could have fought for an equitable distribution of profits, before the Statute of Limitations ran out. Sadly, while Henrietta'a cells afforded others, who had the means, innovative treatments, her own family could not afford anything but the most basic health care.
It is hard to read about the poverty of the Lacks’ existence and reconcile it with the wealth of information her cells have provided and the financial wealth, as well, that her cells have provided for those who used them to advance their research. Although they had so few creature comforts, no education and substandard health care, they had great faith and lived their lives supporting each other in life's unspeakably cruel arena. Most were proud that their mom’s cells were able to advance medicine and save lives. They only wished it might have also been used to save their own.
This is a sad book with tragic circumstances but the characters are real and so the impact of the story is profound. Life knocks them down and they keep getting up, trying to rise above the scars caused by the vast deprivation and evil around them and somehow they manage to face life in a simple spiritual way, with an ability to forgive. The component of faith, makes this book's ultimate message, more beautiful.
As an aside, at one point in the story, Rebecca more or less tells Deborah that if her book is published she will start a fund for the education of Henrietta's heirs. I wonder if she kept her promise or if she, like others, simply used the Lacks family to advance themselves and their projects. show less
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Published Reviews
ThingScore 100
Skloot narrates the science lucidly, tracks the racial politics of medicine thoughtfully and tells the Lacks family’s often painful history with grace. She also confronts the spookiness of the cells themselves, intrepidly crossing into the spiritual plane on which the family has come to understand their mother’s continued presence in the world. Science writing is often just about “the show more facts.” Skloot’s book, her first, is far deeper, braver and more wonderful. show less
added by Shortride
I put down Rebecca Skloot’s first book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” more than once. Ten times, probably. Once to poke the fire. Once to silence a pinging BlackBerry. And eight times to chase my wife and assorted visitors around the house, to tell them I was holding one of the most graceful and moving nonfiction books I’ve read in a very long time.
added by jlelliott
Writing with a novelist's artistry, a biologist's expertise, and the zeal of an investigative reporter, Skloot tells a truly astonishing story of racism and poverty, science and conscience, spirituality and family, all driven by a galvanizing inquiry into the sanctity of the body and the very nature of the life force.
added by sduff222
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Talk Discussions
Past Discussions
Book Discussion: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks ~ SPOILER FREE~ in The Green Dragon (August 2013)
Book Discussion: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks CAUTION ~ Contains SPOILERS ~ in The Green Dragon (May 2011)
Author Information
7+ Works 17,260 Members
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Notable Lists
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Has as a reference guide/companion
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
- Original title
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
- Original publication date
- 2010-02-02
- People/Characters
- Henrietta Lacks; Deborah "Dale" Lacks; David "Day" Lacks; Howard Jones; Richard Wesley TeLinde; George Gey (show all 50); Margaret Gey; David "Sonny" Lacks, Jr.; Elsie Lacks (nee Lucille Elsie Pleasant); Eliza Lacks Pleasant; Gladys Lacks; Johnny Pleasant; Lawrence Lacks; Loretta Pleasant; Tommy Lacks; Zakariyya Bari Abdul Rahman (nee Joe Lacks); Albert Lacks; Alfred "Cheetah" Carter; Alfred Carter, Jr.; Bobette Lacks; Cliff Garret; "Crazy Joe" Grinnan; Davon Meade; Fred Garret; Gary Lacks; LaTonya Carter; Margaret Sturdivant; James Pullum; Sadie Sturdivant; Alexis Carrel; Chester Southam; Christoph Lengauer; Emanuel Mandel; Leonard Hayflick; Mary Kubicek; Roland Patillo; Stanley Gartler; Susan Hsu; Victor McKusick; Walter Nelson-Rees; Courtney "Mama" Speed; John Moore; Michael Gold; Michael Rogers; Keenan Kester Cofield; Ted Slavin; Rebecca Skloot; Donald Defler; Johns Hopkins; Hela
- Important places
- Clover, Virginia, USA; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Maryland, USA; Virginia, USA; Dundalk, Maryland, USA (show all 8); South Boston, Maryland, USA; Turner Station, Maryland, USA
- Related movies
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017 | IMDb)
- Dedication
- For my family:
My parents, Betsy and Floyd; their spouses, Terry and Beverly;
my brother and sister-in-law, Matt and Renee;
and my wonderful nephews, Nick and Justin.
They all did without me for far too ... (show all)long because of this book,
but never stopped believing in it, or me.
And in loving memory of my grandfather,
James Robert Lee (1912-2003),
who treasured books more than anyone I've known. - First words
- On January 29, 1951, David Lacks sat behind the wheel of his old Buick, watching the rain fall.
This is a work of non-fiction. (A Few Words About This Book)
There's a photo of a woman I've never met, its left corner torn and patched together with tape. (Prologue)
When I tell people the story of Henrietta Lacks and her cells, their first question is usually Wasn't it illegal for doctors to take Henrietta's cells without her knowledge? Don't doctors have to tell you when they use you... (show all)r cells in research? - Quotations
- ...But I always have thought it was strange, if our mother cells done so much for medicine, how come her family can't afford to see no doctors? Don't make no sense. People got rich off my mother without us even knowin abou... (show all)t them takin her cells, now we don't get a dime. I used to get so mad about that to where it made me sick and I had to take pills. But I don't got it in me no more to fight. I just want to know who my mother was.
----Deborah Lacks
When I tell people the story of Henrietta Lacks and her cells, the first question is usually Wasn't it illegal for doctors to take Henrietta's cells without her knowledge? Don't doctors have to tell you when they use your ... (show all)cells in research? The answer is no--not in 1951, and not in 2009, when this book went to press. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"I think I'd like that."
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I hope readers will forgive any omissions. (A Few Words About This Book)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)It's not only the story of HeLa cells and Henrietta Lacks, but of Henrietta's family - particularly Deborah - and their lifelong struggle to make peace with the existence of those cells, and the science that made them possible. (Prologue)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"I just hope Hopkins and some of the other folks who benefited off her cells will do something to honor her and make right with the family." (Afterword) - Blurbers
- Conover, Ted; LeBlanc, Adrian Nicole; Schlosser, Eric; Orlean, Susan; Greene, Melissa Fay; Nelson, Alondra (show all 13); Zimmer, Carl; Roach, Mary; Blum, Deborah; Giddings, Paula J.; Hornblum, Allen M.; Wilson, E. O.; Mantel, Hilary
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 616.02774092
- Canonical LCC
- RC265.6.L24
Classifications
- Genres
- General Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Biography & Memoir, Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 616.02774092 — Applied science & technology Medicine & health Diseases, Allergies, Skin Conditions Pathology; Diseases; Treatment First aid; Emergency; Euthanasia Stem cells
- LCC
- RC265.6 .L24 — Medicine Internal medicine Internal medicine Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 16,977
- Popularity
- 393
- Reviews
- 777
- Rating
- (4.16)
- Languages
- 15 — Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Croatian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 78
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 49