Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

125 reviews

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective

4.25

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Content Warnings

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

emilyjmasters's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

3.5

I don't think Skloot achieved what she set out to do in this book; if the entire plan had been the Lacks family with some history thrown it I think it would have been better accomplished

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content and Medical trauma

Moderate: Racism

parasolcrafter's review against another edition

emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

5.0

this book....i really dont know what i can say about it. i learned SO MUCH about something i had never even head of before picking it up, and it was both fascinating and heartbreaking to read about all of it. i wish all the best for hentrietta lacks family and hope that her and those of her family who have passed are resting easily <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexism, Violence, Classism, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Incest, Medical trauma, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Ableism, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Racial slurs, Abortion, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Rape, Slavery, and Terminal illness

bearikatherika's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Violence, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Infidelity, Drug abuse, and Incest

pambo's review against another edition

emotional informative sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content

Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism

Minor: Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical trauma

passionatereader78's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

What an emotional read! Thank Rebecca for this needed book. I can't say I enjoyed it, however I'm Glad I read it. It's shed new light on medical forms and what I sign at doctor offices. This was a heartbreaking story of injustice.  It's well written and everything is explained well. I'm not in the medical or science fields but I understood everything in this book. I will never forget about Henrietta Lacks. Henrietta died from cancer and the doctor used her cells to create new treatments. He even went as far as getting cells from her children. The medical world used her cells for years without her family knowing. This book tells us about Henrietta's life and death. Also what her family went through. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma

marioncromb's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

Easy to read, very informative. Empathetic and meticulously researched. Tells the story of Lacks' family alternating with the story of her cells. Maybe a little long with unneccessary detail. Quite US centric - would have been nice to know about laws surrounding tissues etc worldwide for comparison.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, and Death of parent

Moderate: Classism, Racism, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death

Minor: Child death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Violence, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Slavery, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Addiction, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Mental illness, Incest, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, and Murder

mallorypen's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

I always worry that nonfiction books will be dry and boring, but I am delighted to be wrong with this - deeply disturbing in parts, heart wrenching in others, but with no lack of joy, this story was told in a delightfully human way. Rebecca Skloot took a TON of heavy and dense information and laid it out in an easy-to-follow way.

It surprised me that there aren’t any laws in the use of human cells yet; the ramifications of the scientific uses (and financial gains) were illustrated so thoroughly here that it feels ludicrous to not have addressed it by 2009. It’s my homework now to see if anything has changed now by 2023.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Racism, Medical content, Body horror, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

arttichokedipp's review against another edition

challenging informative sad slow-paced

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Medical content, Grief, Classism, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Violence, Pregnancy, and Mental illness

mountain_adventures's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book should be required reading in high school biology. Henrietta's cells played a pivotal role medical research and how we currently do consent forms within the industry.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma and Cancer