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Title of the Book: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks  Author: Rebecca Skloot  Number of Pages: 328 Rating:★★★★★  Review:

The very first immortal human cells, used for the progression in science to find cures for disease and cancer, all came from one woman: Henrietta Lacks. While her cells are praised by scientists globally, the woman is unknown to many. Textbooks claim her cells were “donated” when they were actually stolen without her family’s knowledge. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot tells the story of this unknown woman and the ways she changed the world of scientific research forever while also telling the story of her family’s journey in reaction to her exploitation. The book starts with a brief history of her life and the story of her cervical cancer. During her final days in the hospital before her death, her doctor took a sample of her tumor cells without her permission and was able to keep them alive, unlike other cells he experimented on. The cells, known as HeLa cells, were then shipped to scientists all over the world, creating a multimillion-dollar industry. While scientists profited, the Lacks family never received a dime and never even knew Henrietta’s cells were being used. Upon discovery, the family was glad to know Henrietta was able to help others in terms of curing disease, but they were enraged that doctors had stolen her cells and experimented on them without thought that they came from a once living human being. The family had been swamped with reporters and doctors lying to them to get their DNA samples for years, but Rebecca Skloot was able to finally tell their story to the world. The true story of Henrietta Lacks.

  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks reads differently than other non-fiction books in that it is not always chronological. While a typical piece of non-fiction tells the story with a gradual and implied timeline, this book starts with a mention of what year the following information in the chapter was collected in, keeping the timeline of Henrietta’s story clear. This also means the author is able to jump around from time period to time period depending on what moments in the story are better when told in different parts of the book at different times. Rebecca Skloot adds a lot of medical and scientific jargon, meaning it does not hide any information from the reader but it can also be a little difficult to read from time to time. It is interesting to learn the specifics of the research on her cells though rather than just her life. Her writing style includes the information that would be found in a textbook but portrays it in a story type style that is interesting for the reader to read. The tone of the book is also consistently uplifting no matter the topic. While the more somber moments of the book may shift in tone, the comforting calm and uplifting tone Skloot writes in comes back almost instantly after. The way the information is presented in the book is both interesting while also being informational and professional.

  A moment that caught my attention in the book was when it was mentioned that Henrietta’s cells were malignant since they were from a tumor. I find it almost terrifying that Henrietta’s cancer was so bad that her cancer cells never stopped growing. This must imply that many other cancer cells from different patients work the same way which is scary to think about. Another moment I enjoyed that is more on the family side of the spectrum rather than scientific is when Henrietta’s daughter Deborah begins to travel along with Skloot to make new discoveries about her mother. Deborah is almost like a small child eager to learn all she can and cannot contain her excitement anytime she learns something new about Henrietta, showing the impact Henrietta had on people’s lives. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an intriguing and thought-provoking read. I think people who show an interest in science would have a primary interest in this book, but I think the book could also be enjoyed by anyone who reads the quote on the front cover and wants to know more. The book may, however, not be as appealing to a person who doesn’t enjoy reading just because the book is very factual and can get kind of slow from time to time depending on what is being talked about since that is the nature of scientific non-fiction books. In all, this book is definitely worth the read and provides information that should be known by all. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks will you leave you inspired, heartbroken, and hopeful all at once.