Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
Wow - what an unexpected awesome book. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into when I decided to read this. I really enjoyed how Ms. Skloot balanced both the complex history and science of the HE-LA cells with the intriguing and real human drama the family experienced. I was fortunate to recently talk about this book with a few public health student who shared how much they loved the book and how much its influenced their decision to work in field.
Here's a powerful quote from the author of "Night" included in the work:
“We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish, and with some measure of triumph. —ELIE WIESEL from The Nazi Doctors and the Nuremberg Code”
Here's another one comes from Henrietta's daughter, Deborah: “if you gonna go into history, you can’t do it with a hate attitude. You got to remember, times was different.”
I highly recommend you read this.
V
Here's a powerful quote from the author of "Night" included in the work:
“We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish, and with some measure of triumph. —ELIE WIESEL from The Nazi Doctors and the Nuremberg Code”
Here's another one comes from Henrietta's daughter, Deborah: “if you gonna go into history, you can’t do it with a hate attitude. You got to remember, times was different.”
I highly recommend you read this.
V
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
I love the story, but sometimes this book dragged a little bit for me. The storytelling was generally really good though, and it’s such an important and necessary story to tell.
emotional
informative
sad
I love a good journalistic read! This did not disappoint. Skloot's writing ability would have readers believe this is a non-fiction book! It was fast paced and really delves into the world of systematic racism in medicine, ethical and moral obligations and the legal spectrum on cell use. This was a totally new world for me and I learned so much. I had no idea what or who HeLa cells were and it blew me away. It really is a tragedy that the Lack's family received no compensation for what their Mother's cells did for science and humanity. It truly angers me that at the very least they do not have unlimited medical care, but I guess that is no surprise in racist America. Shame. I highly recommend this book.
challenging
emotional
informative
fast-paced
I'll be reading this again in the future. The issues it raises are worth revisiting again and again. It's an important book.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
OMG this book was fantastic!! Rebecca did an amazing job with the research she did(over a decade's worth) and it was written so that anyone could understand it. I would never have chosen to read this book on my own if it weren't randomly selected in the reading group I started. I can't stand reading medical/scientific books for the jargon they use, but I completely understood this. It was also a great mix of the scientific/medical and the Lackses personal story together. The way the author put herself in the story of her experiences discovering the information and meeting the family was also fantastic!! This is in my top 10 for all time favorite books I've ever read so far!! It is a must read!!
This is honestly one of the best books I have read in a long time.