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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Great story! Easy listen.
informative
fast-paced
I don’t even know where to start with this book. Just brilliantly executed. Well researched, gripping, with a personal touch, easy to follow despite moving through time like water. I picked this up on a whim in Ireland in a small bookshop, but this book opened a world of new knowledge. It fills a specific need in my reading that dives deep on a topic that is non-fiction but through a narrative that adds a layer of depth and familiarity. I hope the Lacks family finds peace in knowing their mother saved millions from a fate like hers or worse. Thank you to Rebecca for sticking with this story. Only reason its not a new five star is because some elements I wanted more and felt like there was more to say. This was probably an editing choice but it did take an edge off for me that makes it just short of perfect. Nevertheless I think it’s a book well worth reading.
Audiobook. So good!! Highly recommend. As well as learning about HL’s life and the research done with her cells, you also learn about the dark sides of our racist medical history.
But I’m left with a big question… this whole book puts emphasis on the Lacks family being abused and used to make others richer… but does any of the profits from this book (which details the Lacks family history) or the subsequent movie go to help the family??
But I’m left with a big question… this whole book puts emphasis on the Lacks family being abused and used to make others richer… but does any of the profits from this book (which details the Lacks family history) or the subsequent movie go to help the family??
A masterpiece of hybrid, narrative science-medical writing /memoir that deftly balances scene + summary. Originally read this as an assigned book during my MA in Science Writing program at Johns Hopkins, and re-read it now, about 8 years later. Potently alive with visual, sensory details and lyrical language in the Lacks family scenes; in the summary chapters, the complicated history and complexities of cell science and its ensuing commercialization, patient informed-consent, and much more are unpacked and explained by the author with astounding clarity and accessibility. Recommend to everyone who has interactions with the medical industry (ie, everyone), and especially for students learning to skillfully craft narrative science-medical writing.
informative
emotional
informative
medium-paced
great read - so many layers to this book - from science to human interest. I just found it fascinating.