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fairytaleknitter's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Everyone should read this book.
mollymisek's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
I think it was important that this story was told, but the narration in the audiobook was questionable, using accents for Henrietta’s family and other characters that I thought were unnecessary and distracting. I also felt that the author made the book a bit too focused on herself and would’ve liked a more detached telling.
twellz's review against another edition
4.0
I think the story of Henrietta Lacks poses interesting questions about tissue research. I never knew how many diseases HeLa cells found cures for. Science is amazing! I could tell that the author wanted to include EVERY detail that the Lacks family had to offer about Henrietta. (The book could’ve been a lot shorter). That being said, I think this book is a must read for anybody interested in cellular biology.
mels_reading_log's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
This book tells the true story of Henrietta Lacks, a black woman who had her cells taken when she went into Johns Hopkins Hospital for cancer treatment. The cells which were taken without her consent were then sold and distributed around the world for medical research and are still used today. The fact that this story is real is so troubling. The way the medical community has taken advantage of poor, black and handicapped people in the name of medical advancement is atrocious and it makes perfect sense that many do not trust doctors because of this.
I did like the way the book was written like a podcast, where we went along with the author to do research and meet with the family members. This keeps the information accessible and easier to understand than dense science talk. I believe this information should be required knowledge in this country, so people, especially the non black can know the depths of racism that exist and understand that this was less than 100 years ago.
I did like the way the book was written like a podcast, where we went along with the author to do research and meet with the family members. This keeps the information accessible and easier to understand than dense science talk. I believe this information should be required knowledge in this country, so people, especially the non black can know the depths of racism that exist and understand that this was less than 100 years ago.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, Alcohol, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Incest, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Classism, Death, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Cancer, Chronic illness, Blood, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Terminal illness
Minor: Suicide
jennbliven's review against another edition
5.0
A great deal of care and research went into this book and it is truly an amazing story. Bravo to Rebecca Skloot for not giving up and for telling a story that everyone should know.
tessrc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
4.5
I imagine this was a very difficult book to write. Skloot takes on the scientific background of cell culture, the legality of bodily ownership, the complex and longstanding racism of the medical system, and the twisting storylines of one family - all at once, and tries to make the whole thing hold water. It’s amazing that she almost always does. I learned so much about each one of the above things and was always eager to hear what happened next, and then dissatisfied by the ending (which I will not spoil). I’m not usually someone who gobbles up nonfiction, but this was a page-turner even as it was thoughtful and informative. Job well done.
dallusiona's review against another edition
5.0
This is an absolute must read book. Shocking an utterly astounding information about medical research and it's development throughout the years. The amazing story of a woman's Immortal cells and all their contributions to medicine. With a family completely unaware any of this went on, and searching for answers.
Great book, loved it.
Great book, loved it.
honeycoveredpages's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0