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ejthephoenix's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Moderate: Drug use, Incest, Murder, Pregnancy, Slavery, Racism, Rape, Cursing, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide, Vomit, Outing, and Blood
alliejuve's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Terminal illness, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Incest, Medical content, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Death, and Sexual violence
Minor: Slavery
shantellelandry's review against another edition
4.25
Minor: Incest
danileah07's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, Cancer, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Grief and Racism
Minor: Incest and Medical content
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
pamnc's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault and Medical content
Moderate: Incest
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
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