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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I really delicately woven balance of science and human interest.
The book is at its best when it's following individuals in the story. It genuinely felt like the people came alive on the page. The contrast between the huge changes in the scientific world vs. the tragedies plaguing the family really worked for me. I also like that the story doesn't pin the blame on any one person, but acknowledges that the scientists involved were still part of a system that really fucked up. I think a lot of people forget that ethics is such an important part of the sciences, and this book does a really great job showing why. Capitalism is a huge bitch, man.
Only gripe I have is that the author inserted herself into the narrative, and it really does make her asshole moments stand out. I guess it's better that she's honest about it rather than pretending that she was perfect
Only gripe I have is that the author inserted herself into the narrative, and it really does make her asshole moments stand out. I guess it's better that she's honest about it rather than pretending that she was perfect
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
This book is a deeply personal and human take on the impacts of ethical practices in medical research from the 1950s to the present, and the impacts it has had on real people’s lives. Rebecca bridged the concepts of informed consent and racial injustice with the life and death of Henrietta Lacks, the black woman whose cells changed the face of medical research. As well as the struggles of her family coming to terms with what it means that their mother’s cells were unknowingly taken, whilst they remained in poverty and medical disparity.
The book challenges past and current ethical standards around tissue and cell culturing and is an important read for anyone involved in research.
The book challenges past and current ethical standards around tissue and cell culturing and is an important read for anyone involved in research.
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
dark
informative
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Medical trauma
This book is impossible to put down, and is entirely honest with the ethical wasteland that medicine has been, and how it's now slightly better.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced