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cj13's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Medical content, Grief, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Child death, Cancer, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Minor: Suicide
scrubsandbooks's review against another edition
4.5
This story is part history text, science text, and biographical story, that keeps the reader engaged. It's heartbreaking to read what the family went through in their lifetime, but the developing friendship between Deborah and Rebecca was inspiring and heartfelt to read.
Graphic: Racism, Medical content, Cancer, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Sexual assault and Child abuse
oceanwriter's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Cancer, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual assault, Racism, and Child abuse
Minor: Incest
tieflingmom's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Medical trauma, Hate crime, Cancer, Incest, Racism, Sexual assault, Medical content, Death, Sexism, and Terminal illness
summeryoder's review against another edition
5.0
"But before she died, a surgeon took samples of her tumor and put them in a petri dish. Scientists had been trying to keep human cells alive in culture for decades, but they all eventually died. Henrietta's were different: they reproduced an entire generation every twenty-four hours, and they never stopped. They became the first immortal
human cells ever grown in a laboratory."
Henrietta Lacks never knew that her tissues had been taken for research. She never found out that her cells were used to study cancer, to formulate the polio vaccine, or that they were sent into outer space.
Her family didn't find out for over 20 years and the discovery put them on a journey of confusion and pain.
"When I go to the doctor for my checkups I always say my mother was HeLa. They get all excited, tell me stuff like how her cells helped make my blood pressure medicines and antidepression pills and how all this important stuff in science happen cause of her. But they don't never explain more than just sayin, Yeah, your mother was on the moon, she been in nuclear bombs and made that polio vaccine. I really don't know how she did all that, but I guess I'm glad she did, cause that mean she helpin lots of people. I think she would like that." -Deborah Lacks as told to Rebecca Skloot
Meticulously researched, this book gives much food for thought on the topics of racism, medical ethics, grief, trauma, and more. It's not a feel-good read, but it's an important one.
Graphic: Medical trauma and Medical content
Moderate: Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Incest, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcoholism
savannahsshelf's review against another edition
4.75
Reread January 2024 4.75-5⭐️
If you’re in science or medicine this is required reading. If you do research on people or human cells and haven’t read this… do that right now!
Every single person reading this review had their life changed by Henrietta Lacks’ cells so you might as well read the book about her and them.
Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death, and Murder
dlajoie's review against another edition
4.75
Moderate: Medical trauma and Racism
sztokfisz's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Death, and Cancer
Moderate: Incest, Mental illness, Addiction, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Slavery, Medical content, and Sexual violence
beccaj11's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Terminal illness, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, Racism, Medical content, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Classism, Physical abuse, Violence, and Mental illness
Minor: Suicide and Slavery
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Child death, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Grief, Incest, Racism, Ableism, Sexual harassment, Cancer, Child abuse, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Slavery, Antisemitism, Confinement, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Suicide, Animal cruelty, and Genocide
Minor: Deadnaming and War