Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

138 reviews

moniipeters's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

bootrat's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcoholism

jbro12's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Medical trauma

hhwanghyunjin's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

I recently finished "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" and I have to say, it is one of the most fascinating and thought-provoking books I have read in a long time. The book tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a woman whose cells were taken without her knowledge or consent in 1951 and used in scientific research that led to many groundbreaking discoveries, including the polio vaccine.

The author, Rebecca Skloot, does an excellent job of weaving together the story of Henrietta and her family with the larger scientific and ethical issues surrounding the use of human tissues in research. Skloot's writing is clear and engaging, and she manages to make complex scientific concepts accessible to the layperson.

What really sets this book apart, however, is its deeply human element. Skloot's relationship with Henrietta's daughter, Deborah, and the Lacks family is a major part of the book, and it is clear that Skloot cares deeply about telling their story with sensitivity and respect. As a history teacher, I appreciate how Skloot situates Henrietta's story within the broader context of medical experimentation on African Americans throughout history.

Overall, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of medicine, ethics, or social justice. I cannot recommend it highly enough. 5/5 stars.


"If you want to see your grandmother alive, you need to come home right now." - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, p. 74.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Medical trauma

Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, and Violence

Minor: Cursing and Incest

saskiahill's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Fascinating and moving

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Racism, Slavery, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Minor: Incest and Suicide

rishel's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

Moderate: Racism

zams's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

English: Definitly the best book I've read so far.
The telling of the stories as well as  the presentation of the researched data was incredible. As somebody who only learned English as a 2nd language I was a little nervous about the presence of authentic language, but it made the whole bok just a lot more real and therefor enjoyable.
An absolutely outstanding work by everybody that contributed. This is not just a book about science but also one that transfers heavy emotins right through the pages.

Deutsch:  Definitiv eines der besten Bücher die ich bisher gelesen habe.
Das Erzähle der Geschichten genauso wie die Präsentation der gesammelten Daten sind unvergleichlich.
Ich hatte zuerst etwas Respekt vor der Tatsache dass authentische Sprache in dem Buch verwendet wird, allerdings war das Verständnis absolut kein Problem, und gab der Geschichte das gewisse etwas, dass sie so persönlich macht. Ich weiß nicht wie diese Parts in der deutschen Übersetzung wirken.
Definitv eine herausragende Arbeit von allen, die daran mitgewirkt haben. 
Nicht nur ein Buch über Wissenschaft, sondern auch eines dass es schafft, heftige Emotionen durch die Seiten zum Leser zu transportieren.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, and Abandonment

Minor: Addiction

cheyrohm's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Racism and Violence

spicewitch's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

kirstenpod_'s review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Murder