From the Bookshelf of Baltimore County Public Library Summer Reading BCPL SRC …
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
Excellent. Now that I'm more aware of all that goes into a research study - the consents, the IRB approval, etc etc - I found this book so shocking when I realize that we really don't have any right to our tissues or blood once they are separated from us. Lots of discussion needs to continue there!
In addition, the Lacks family story is told so well in this book, and I felt that I gained some knowledge in regard to cancer studies.
Very highly recommended. ...more
In addition, the Lacks family story is told so well in this book, and I felt that I gained some knowledge in regard to cancer studies.
Very highly recommended. ...more
an interesting personal and scientific history. the ethics question is full explored, and the reader is invited to come to his or her own conclusion about what is ethically correct. Henrietta Lacks's family is portrayed very openly, painting them neither as heroes or villains. the author makes no judgment call on their ignorance, and their poor understanding of their own physical and mental health-- an admittedly difficult proposition for an educated, well-balanced individual, and one that the a
...more
Nov 03, 2011
Zeke
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
nonfiction,
favorites,
history,
5stars,
biography,
science-nature,
baltimore,
african-american
This book will be with me for a long time. Powerfully told story. Excellent nonfiction title, reads like a novel in places. Would recommend this to almost anyone, including readers who may usually prefer novels. Highly recommended to anyone who is interested in Baltimore, history, medicine, science, ethnicity & class. I'd been meaning to pick up Medical Apartheid for years and this book finally reminded me to get around to reading it. I wish I'd read Medical Apartheid first because it was a bit
...more
Since starting this book, I have asked a number if people if they had heard of or ever used Hela cells. I have bee amazed at how many people hqve nd have not read this book! I should be a must read for anyone before they get anywhere near those cells or any medical procedure. Well researched, but not at all dry. I couldn't read it fast though. I was outraged in each chapter and found i had to constantly remind myself that those were different times. Though, I definitely better understand now why
...more
I was sorry I waited so long to listen to this book. I live in Baltimore and had never heard about Henrietta Lacks until this book came out. So in that regard the book accomplished what it set out to do - to educate the public about Henrietta and how her cells were taken without her knowledge. She unfortunately passed away at the young age of 31. However, the cells did a lot of good in that they helped with developing the polio vaccine and much more. Her family did not find out about this until
...more
I don't think a non-fiction book has ever made me think or talk about it or cry as much over the people involved as this one did. Skloot does an impeccable job of weaving together the very technical scientific story in a readable way with the incredibly emotional story of the people involved as well as threading in some of the questions the story raises about medical ethics. Her passion shines through in every word.
...more
...more
A fascinating, personal look at a staple of research labs--HeLa cells. The woman who generated the cells and contributed them unwittingly proves an interesting subject. The book raises questions as to the ethics of medicine and research while humanizing what could be a dry story. There is plenty for book clubs to discuss.
I am going to start this before reading the happy book. I love the idea of reading something non-fiction that takes place in Baltimore. I think that the idea that Henrietta Lacks had cells that did not age from her cervix is amazing, and the fact that doctors took them without her knowing prior to her death for study was even more interesting. Lacks has been instrumental in cancer research today, and yet she never received any recognition, and her family cannot afford health insurance- ironic. I
...more
Fascinating!
I started this book in March, 2011 and it's been sitting on my "Currently Reading" Goodreads shelf ever since. I figured it was time to move it along. Once I got into it, I plowed right through in two days.
Great accessible science and history, leaving me creeped out by my daily drive past the eerily beautiful Crownsville State Hospital as well as that extra vial of blood my doctor at Hopkins always wants to draw "for research." ...more
Great accessible science and history, leaving me creeped out by my daily drive past the eerily beautiful Crownsville State Hospital as well as that extra vial of blood my doctor at Hopkins always wants to draw "for research." ...more
Incredible look at what happened to an African American woman's cancer cells that were freely taken and used by the medical profession. It was especially interesting since the story began at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, right in my own back yard!
...more
Feb 07, 2010
Joy
marked it as to-read
May 05, 2010
Lisa
added it
Jan 18, 2011
Jess
marked it as to-read
Aug 17, 2011
Heather
marked it as to-read
Oct 16, 2011
Lisa
marked it as to-read
