From the Bookshelf of Bio-Nerds…

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Rebecca Skloot

Start date: December 21, 2014

Finish date: March 19, 2015

Discussion: Group Reads

Why we're reading this: Winter 2015
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By Megan · 14 posts · 83 views

last updated Sep 07, 2015 04:49AM

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What Members Thought

Nov 04, 2014 ~☆~Autumn rated it it was amazing

Excellent!

7 likes · Like · see review

Oct 07, 2013 Charlene rated it it was amazing

Shelves: general-science, medicine

Skloot's style of writing is phenomenal. Able to weave an intensely interesting personal narrative with some basic but extremely informative scientific principles of cancer, she was able to produce a book that made her reader aware of the issue that have been present in our fight to understand and find a cure for many diseases, including cancer. Her ability to address ethical questions while still remind the reader of practical realities kept the book balanced, focused, and incredibly entertaini ...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Priscilla Benbrook rated it really liked it

As a science writer, my shelves are filled with books on. . .science. They are also filled with books on ethnic studies, so this was a dream. I am a very slow reader who is easily distracted, but could not put this one down. Excellent, excellent read. However, I did had a couple of issues with the book that precluded me from giving it 5 stars:

1) It felt like 2 different books, the second of which was not as good as the first. I definitely preferred the first 2/3 of the book over the last 1/3. Th As a science writer, my shelves are filled with books on. . .science. They are also filled with books on ethnic studies, so this was a dream. I am a very slow reader who is easily distracted, but could not put this one down. Excellent, excellent read. However, I did had a couple of issues with the book that precluded me from giving it 5 stars:

1) It felt like 2 different books, the second of which was not as good as the first. I definitely preferred the first 2/3 of the book over the last 1/3. The first 2/3 was a chronology of the events surrounding Henrietta’s life, death, and subsequent rebirth as HeLa. However, the last 1/3 felt like a different book, as it turned into narrative of the author’s relationship with Ms. Lacks’ daughter, Deborah. Deborah was, sadly, severely affected by her mother’s death and the events surrounding it. Skloot set out with Deborah to unravel some of the mysteries. While it still maintained my attention, the last 1/3 of the book felt a bit repetitive.

There were, however, three chapters in the last 1/3 of the book that I found to be extremely interesting: 32) “All That’s My Mother”, 33) “The Hospital for the Negro Insane”, and 34) “The Medical Records”. Indeed, #32 quite possibly my favorite. I was extremely touched by Christoph Lengauer’s sensitivity in addressing the family’s scientific questions. (I almost feel like looking up his e-mail to thank him).

2) I'm not quite comfortable with the author's role in the book. I understand the author's need to place herself into the text, but I'm not fully comfortable with the means/extent to which she does it. I kind of left with the impression that Skloot felt herself the heroine of the story. (i.e., educated woman swoops down to rescue less-than-educated family from themselves). I'm thinking it was inadvertent, but I did feel it at times.

I would have liked the book to be a tiny bit more clinical to satiate my own interests, but did not mark it down for not being so—indeed, I think she should be applauded for presenting science in a gentle way such that it would maintain the interests of a general audience.

Otherwise a great read. . .highly recommended!
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Jan 17, 2015 Bill rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: biology

This book presents a touching portrait of the descendants of Henrietta Lacks, the woman whose cancer cells became the first cells to be reproduced indefinitely in a lab culture. I've seen it mostly shelved with the biology books at the bookstore, but the focus of the story Rebecca Skloot tells is more sociological than biological. Biological issues are presented as background for attendant ethical issues, and the ethical issues as background against the Lacks family's story. As a result, many of ...more

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