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sams84's review against another edition
5.0
This is a superb read that tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, her descendents and the cell line that was created from the cervical cancer that killed her. Skloot aims to show the reader every side of this complex, complicated and highly emotive story while remaining as objective as possible (although admittedly there are a few moments where you can sense she sides with the family, but that is understandable considering the amount of time she spent with them in the writing of this book). Skloot manages to explain the science behind cell collection and research without over-simplifying the processes or patronising the reader. She also manages to discuss the approach taken by science in the 1950s and before, especially with regard to those considered to be of the 'lower classes' without exaggerating or berating an era that was very different to what we expect now. She also does justice to the family of Henrietta, showing their good and bad sides, which makes the reader feel for them all the more as they are shown to be ordinary people trying to deal with an extraordinary situation. A superb book that is a brilliant read that would appeal to more than the usual science type.
japarto's review
4.0
This book was a fascinating combination of science, history, ethics, and sociology. As the author tells the story of Henrietta Lacks and her family, the reader is left to reach his or her own decision about what should have been done. Skloot tells the story of how HeLa and Jim Crow America has impacted this urban family.
wickerplane228's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.5
dinahfay's review against another edition
5.0
In brief: spot on. Brilliant prose, fascinating depiction of the forgotten history of semi-rural America in the middle of the century, unflinching examination of our problematic history with consent and medicine, and a careful, thorough, personal, and thought-provoking awareness of race intersecting with all the rest. A real find, a book with such a fascinating journalistic endeavor but also a loving depiction of real, flawed people dealing with history playing out through their family, and the story-teller becoming an integral part of thr story.
artsybry's review against another edition
4.0
This book raises a host of ethical, political, and personal questions. Do you own you once you willingly give it away? The answer is no. You don't. When you go to a doctor/hospital and doctors take blood/tissue for tests, as a part of surgery, etc. you are in essence willingly leaving it behind meaning the hospitals can save it for research.
This book was interesting yet really difficult to read at times both on the science front and the human front.
The science was extremely fascinating but sometimes hard to understand. I have a graduate degree and a fair understanding of biology and genetics, but it was still somewhat hard to wade through at times when the vocabulary and theory reached phd levels. Most of the times the author would attempt to offer up the ideas using more understandable ideas but it sometimes took some work on the readers part to fully understand the impact.
The human aspect though was the hardest to deal with. This book gives you an unabashed view into the lives of the Lacks family and their history, up to and including murder, child molestation, beatings, extreme poverty, and neglect. Reading about Henrietta's oldest daughter Elsie being shipped off to a poorly funded and over crowded state hospital for blacks due to her 'idocy' was one of the hardest. Further reading about what was done to these poor people is damn near heart breaking and cringe worthy. The details are extreme, and delivered with bluntness. This is not a book where you can skim or shy away from the more unhappy aspects.
The hardest part about this book was the structure of the book. It constantly jumps from one decade to the next and back to a previous decade throughout the entire book as the story is told. It is a constant shifting from present to past and back again. This structure in particular is a bit hard for me to grasp as it takes me longer to really get a handle on the 'characters' as the focus is continually shifting. Furthermore it leads to a lot of repetition in the information.
All in all I definitely recommend that book just for the knowledge and compassion it will entice in you. The author went above and beyond to deliver the most accurate information on the science and the most unashamed background on the Lacks family so that as the reader you walk away with a lot of questions about medical ethics and an in depth understanding of the families struggle.
This book was interesting yet really difficult to read at times both on the science front and the human front.
The science was extremely fascinating but sometimes hard to understand. I have a graduate degree and a fair understanding of biology and genetics, but it was still somewhat hard to wade through at times when the vocabulary and theory reached phd levels. Most of the times the author would attempt to offer up the ideas using more understandable ideas but it sometimes took some work on the readers part to fully understand the impact.
The human aspect though was the hardest to deal with. This book gives you an unabashed view into the lives of the Lacks family and their history, up to and including murder, child molestation, beatings, extreme poverty, and neglect. Reading about Henrietta's oldest daughter Elsie being shipped off to a poorly funded and over crowded state hospital for blacks due to her 'idocy' was one of the hardest. Further reading about what was done to these poor people is damn near heart breaking and cringe worthy. The details are extreme, and delivered with bluntness. This is not a book where you can skim or shy away from the more unhappy aspects.
The hardest part about this book was the structure of the book. It constantly jumps from one decade to the next and back to a previous decade throughout the entire book as the story is told. It is a constant shifting from present to past and back again. This structure in particular is a bit hard for me to grasp as it takes me longer to really get a handle on the 'characters' as the focus is continually shifting. Furthermore it leads to a lot of repetition in the information.
All in all I definitely recommend that book just for the knowledge and compassion it will entice in you. The author went above and beyond to deliver the most accurate information on the science and the most unashamed background on the Lacks family so that as the reader you walk away with a lot of questions about medical ethics and an in depth understanding of the families struggle.