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cici2's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
3.25
midici's review against another edition
4.0
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an incredible work of nonfiction that pulls together the story of a woman whose tissue revolutionized science; a woman who was used without consent and whose family was left unaware of her impact, living in poverty without access to health care.
I've taken biology classes in university, so I had heard of HeLa cells before reading this book. They're an immortal cell line, living continuously since they were taken from their source, and have been used in countless studies. HeLa cells helped create the polio vaccine, they were the first cells to be cloned, they have gone to space, and have been subject to just about every substance a scientist has ever wanted to study.
The story of Henrietta Lacks, however, is not a story I knew. She was a real woman, with a family that loved and mourned her. A family that is as integral to this story as Henrietta is herself.
I think the most fascinating part of this book is how the story of HeLa is intertwined with the growing regard for ethics in scientific research and the history of scientific misuse and abuse. When HeLa cells were first being mass produced, they were being sold from a factory in Tuskegee - at the same time and in the same city as the now infamous Tuskegee syphilis study. When a researcher wanted to inject her cells into patients to see if it would become cancerous - without really telling the patients what it was for - the only doctors to object were three Jewish doctors; this was just after the Nuremberg trials. The ideas about informed consent came into being just after doctors took blood from Henrietta's family; they believe they were being tested for cancer but the blood was being used for genetic profiling against the original HeLa cells instead.
Science is sometimes seen as some sort of objective bubble that lives outside of biases or societal issues. It's the complete opposite - what is happening in society informs what research is done, who benefits - and who is being exploited. Rebecca Skloot did an impeccable job with her research and weaves a vibrant, compelling, informative tale about the Lacks family and the scientific legacy that lives on through HeLa.
I've taken biology classes in university, so I had heard of HeLa cells before reading this book. They're an immortal cell line, living continuously since they were taken from their source, and have been used in countless studies. HeLa cells helped create the polio vaccine, they were the first cells to be cloned, they have gone to space, and have been subject to just about every substance a scientist has ever wanted to study.
The story of Henrietta Lacks, however, is not a story I knew. She was a real woman, with a family that loved and mourned her. A family that is as integral to this story as Henrietta is herself.
I think the most fascinating part of this book is how the story of HeLa is intertwined with the growing regard for ethics in scientific research and the history of scientific misuse and abuse. When HeLa cells were first being mass produced, they were being sold from a factory in Tuskegee - at the same time and in the same city as the now infamous Tuskegee syphilis study. When a researcher wanted to inject her cells into patients to see if it would become cancerous - without really telling the patients what it was for - the only doctors to object were three Jewish doctors; this was just after the Nuremberg trials. The ideas about informed consent came into being just after doctors took blood from Henrietta's family; they believe they were being tested for cancer but the blood was being used for genetic profiling against the original HeLa cells instead.
Science is sometimes seen as some sort of objective bubble that lives outside of biases or societal issues. It's the complete opposite - what is happening in society informs what research is done, who benefits - and who is being exploited. Rebecca Skloot did an impeccable job with her research and weaves a vibrant, compelling, informative tale about the Lacks family and the scientific legacy that lives on through HeLa.
apriless's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
lovetlr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Didn’t need the writer as a character in this
nothing_to_report's review against another edition
4.0
Not read in the traditional sense, I listened to the audio.
panda's review against another edition
5.0
AMAZING everyone should read this especially if you're currently studying anything to do with medicine and biology. The way the Lacks family was treated as well as many of the other people abused by our medical care system is disgusting. The for-profit medical care system and the view of science as a "ends justify the means" field are actively harming the most vulnerable in society while corporations use public health as an excuse while making million and patenting their work- essentially blocking scientific research and development through high licensing fees. I'm sorry i can't write very well write now my brain fog is going but i'm glad that the lacks foundation is helping the family and people like them. I'm glad the family's story got told though im not super interested in the author's journey into it. Also some bits were a bit off for me with the family in addtion to some comments i didn't personally like (stop commenting on people's weight) aside from that very very good 9.5/10 but 10/10 cause of the history