Published July 2010 by Gale Group
Source: I bought this one
There are probably very few people left out there who don't know the story of Henrietta Lacks, either from having read the book or from having heard about the book on numerous news sources. For those of you who may have missed the hubbub surrounding this book, Henrietta Lacks was a poor, black, mother of five who died from cervical cancer in 1951. If that had been all there was to the story, no one except Henrietta's family would probably remember her; her grave is even unmarked.
But that is not all there is to Henrietta's story and her legacy, already sixty years in the making, continues to live on because one doctor at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore decided to take a sample of Henrietta's tumor to see if he could grow her cells. Doctors had been trying for years to grow human cells with very little success. So as the technician in the lab prepared the sample, she had little hope to see anything happen. She could not have been more wrong. By the next day, the number of cells in each sample container had doubled and they continued to double on an almost daily basis. Never before had doctors seen anything like it; to this day, nothing on the same scale has ever been replicated. The cells were soon being sent nationwide and, before long, worldwide. In the past sixty years, hundreds of diseases have been studies and hundreds of advances and treatments have been developed using Henrietta's cells. Along the way, many have made a lot of money because of the cells; Henrietta's family is not among them. Her family did not even know until years after her death that the cells had been taken. Once they found out, the emotional impact of her death became many times greater as the family struggled to come to terms with the facts.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is one of those books that came with extremely high expectations, almost always certain to leave me at least a little disappointed no matter how good the book is. This book was an exception; it is every bit as good as I was hoping. Skloot has crafted an amazing blend of human interest story and scientific lesson book. My heart broke for Henrietta as she died in agony and for her family as they lived in agony. By the time Skloot began looking into the story, the family had become so mistrustful of anyone asking about Henrietta that they refused to speak with her for months and months. Fortunately for us, Skloot refused to give up, eventually earning the trust of Henrietta's children. The book is exceptionally well-researched and Skloot has done a fine job of explaining the science behind the use of the cells in a way that makes sense to the layman. At the same time, she knows how to write a human story that will touch the heart.
The Omaha Bookworms are reading this for February and I can't wait to discuss it with them. In addition to the story itself, there is so much to discuss about the ethics of cell research, the way cells are procured, and the money that can be made by research on our cells by corporations and researchers. I highly recommend this book.
My online book group was reading this book, so I did too. I didn't want to. I expected it to be a whining sort of book, and I was in no mood to hear the complaints. But in the end I truly enjoyed it, learned a lot, and found it to be a fairly balanced portrayal of what happened. Definitely worth the read!
ReplyDeleteSomeone pitched this book at our yearly selection meeting and it was outvoted. That surprised me! I thought for sure my group would want to read it.
ReplyDeleteI loved discussing this book on twitter when it was the 1book140 pick, so I can imagine what fantastic discussions will result from a real-life book club. Skloot did such a fantastic job of picking the story apart and of telling it without any overt judgement. (As a reader, of course, we inevitably end up judging some of the people here - impossible not to.) I didn't know anything about the research done on cells, the ethics of obtaining those cells, or how much money can be made off selling the cells, before reading the book. Thanks for reminding me of what a great (though often horrifying) reading experience this was; it's been a while, and I was starting to forget how well Skloot combined the personal side of Lacks's story with the story of her cells and the ethics of selling them without the family's knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThis was such an amazing book, and one that left me speechless as I was reading, and long after I had finished it. The mix between the science and the human story was one that I found incredible, and despite the fact that Henrietta's cells were so amazing, the way she, and her family were treated just made me so angry. I also got incensed at the end of the book when Skloot talks about the rights the people have over their discarded tissues. Just a stunning book, and so very well written and researched. I am so glad that you loved it, and you wrote a really beautiful review on it today. Thank you.
ReplyDeletewow....great review!! I am currently reading this one and am completely engrossed in it! What an incredible story! Thanks for sharing your thoughts :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you loved this, too! It was such a fascinating story. Unfortunately, I could not convince my book club to select it. Hope you post you club's reaction.
ReplyDeleteI must read this one. I'm glad that you weren't even the tiniest bit disappointed!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you liked this one! I've recommended it to a lot of readers because it's such an interesting book. I think it will offer a lot of things to discuss with your group.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm the only person who has not yet read this book. Thanks for reminding me that I need to get to it soon!
ReplyDeleteI've been debating on this one. It's bound to turn up at a library sale sooner or later...or Bookmooch. I may have to nab it. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteHow are you doing on the read-a-thon? Hope it's enjoyable for you, but I know you said you had some stuff going on this week. Also, wanted to remind you that I have the mid-week read-a-thon mini-challenge posted. All the links to mini-challenges/giveaways are listed below the read-a-thon banner just above the post section (below the slide show). Stop on by!
I bought this a few months ago and have been meaning to get to it! Glad it's a good one.
ReplyDeleteThis is on my list - you know, the one everyone has of "Books I Must Read Someday". Now that I've read your opinion I'll move it closer to the top. What a fascinating story!
ReplyDeleteI listened to this one early last year and what an amazing story. Like you I wondered how it could live up to the hype but I loved how Skloot wove together the scientific and emotional aspects of the story. I'm sure it'll be great for your group's discussion. How many are you?
ReplyDeleteI have heard nothing but good things about this book. I have it and just need to get down to reading it.
ReplyDeleteI just found this at the thrift store. I can't wait to give it a read.
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