#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells — taken without her knowledge in 1951 — became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more. Henrietta’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually … billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can’t afford health insurance. This phenomenal New York Times bestseller tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew.
more
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), …
It has its faults, like rendering the Lacks’ family speech patterns in dialect that seems demeaning and is, for sure, unnecessary. More time should have been spent on developing the importance for medical ethics reform (or lack of it) from the professions experience and the consequences of the legal actions taken by the Lacks family long after …
Excellent proof of medical treatment biases.
Must read eye opener
Very informative and a page turner. Hard to believe w this really happened.
Amazing true story of Henrietta Lacks! Informative! Her family’s story is heartrending,
Reads a little bit like a mystery about a subject that probably affects everyone’s life at some point, medical treatment. The story makes you appreciate the treatments that are possible. You learn about the unfairness that was involved in getting to these medical miracles.
tragic book about the life and death of an obscure woman who contributed much to man’s knowledge without recognition or reward and it’s impact on her family through the dogged persistance of one person’s curiosity and her follow-through in search of the truth.
A book that will inform why black citizens may not want to receive the COVD vaccine.
I just couldn’t get into it.
True science tale, at it’s worst – ethics violated even though the benefit to future generations is untold. Fascinating and human story.
Shocking, but I couldn’t put it down.
This book tells about the live of Henrietta Lacks, whose blood became the basis for much of the research and testing done in today’s medical field. Fascinating and frightening story about our society, racism and government control over things that seem insignificant like a blood test.
True story. Medical innovations resulted that are still used today. Extremely interesting.
it was unbelievable what this woman went through. It kept me turning pages till the end.
very interesting book
Wow! What a read. The main character is a lesson in medical history. This is based on fact, has many very believable events that happen in a time period where medicine and doctors do things that they thought was good for communities, but which, in the long run was not. This is about the woman whose cells have led to numerous scientific …
A dark and powerful and important story that needed to be brought into the light.
Some cancers never die, and those cells from Henrietta Lack are still being used in cancer research. I might read this again it’s been so many years since i read it, but it left an impression.
This is an excellent book based on real-life events and people. It is intersting and informatve and engaging. i actually gave this book out as a Christmas gift to friends a few years back.