Title: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Author: Rebecca Skloot

Publish Date: February 2, 2010

Publisher: Broadway Books

Format: Paperback

Page Count: 382 pages

Source: Library

Date Read: March 15-19, 2020

Review

The medical and scientific parts of this book was fascinating and informative. The debates surrounding medical ethics were timely, from Lacks' time to today. What failed for me was the endless fucked-upness that constituted the Lacks family, both before and after Henrietta. This family's story is just as damn disgusting and ridiculous as the family in Westover's Educated, except they are black and live in Virginia. Reading this book soon after finishing the other book made both less in my eyes. I have no sympathy for either fucked up family, but I do have sympathy for Henrietta Lacks - she was done dirty by certain doctors at John Hopkins and the medical establishment at the time. 

That being said, I think this is an important story for medical and public health students to learn from.

After three busy months, a check in on my progress with this reading project:

Read:

1. The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean (Flat Book Society pick)

2. Pandemic by Sonia Shah (substitute for a DNF)

DNF:

1. The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman

2. The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel

Currently reading The Fever by Sonia Shah (about malaria). Up next is Tom's River by Dan Fagin.

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In addition to the twelve books listed in this post, I hope to read a few of the Flat Book Society picks.

1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

3. Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura Spinney

4. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

5. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert

6. This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein

8. Code Girls by Liz Mundy

9. Rise of the Rocket Girls by Nathalia Holt

10. Broad Band by Claire L. Evans

11. Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver

12. Tom's River by Dan Fagin

I've got a little review for you today, though the review is small, I have a large love of this book! There are just some books where I can't exactly put my thoughts properly on paper.

...

I am forever changed from reading this book. It is beyond a doubt one of the most fascinating book I have ever read. I found this to be heartbreaking, I cried during several parts.

This is something that I never knew about before I read this and I am so shocked I did not even have vague knowledge of Henrietta Lacks and what her cells (HeLa) have done.

I believe this book should be required reading in schools and for anyone who is even remotely connected to the science or medical field. Even if you are not connected to those fields, this is a must read book.

Henrietta Lacks was an amazing woman who was unknown. Because of her, life saving changes happened. And, yes, lots of money was made too. This highlighted issues with medical ethics and consent. I'm so glad this book exists. It tells an important story. I liked how it was laid out. Not dry, boring like it could have been. Sad that her daughter, Deborah, didn't live to see it's publication. 
On a personal note, in 2016, I had to have part of my liver removed because of a large tumor (not cancer). I did sign a consent form saying it was okay for the University of Washington hospital to do research on that tumor and tissue. I do think it's, in part, due to people like Henrietta, that I was able to give consent and not have them just take it and not know that they did.