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katiefronk's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Slavery, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Mental illness and Suicide
coreyarch9's review against another edition
4.0
I recently reread The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks since it's my book club's pick for this month.
My life has changed a lot since I first read the book a few years ago and, as such, a few things hit differently this time around. For one, Henrietta was 31 when she died. Now in my thirties, myself, this detail stood out so much more. Additionally, I've since benefitted greatly from the lifesaving diagnostic testing that her cells specifically helped develop. Throughout the book, I couldn't help but reflect on some of my own health challenges from the past year, which at times were triggering.
Just as during my previous read, I often went straight to Wikipedia to learn more. Specifically, as I was looking up historical information on John Hopkins, I got the clearest sense of deja vu, a confirmation that similar details and curiosities stood out to me both times.
I'm am looking forward to my book club's discussion later this month. If you've read this book, then you understand the hodgepodge of thoughts and reactions that I'm currently experiencing.
•••
My original review:
This book had been on my list since I first heard about it on NPR and WOW DID I LEARN A LOT. I found myself scouring through Wikipedia pages more than a few times over the course of reading. My only criticism is that sometimes the author gets caught up in describing her process for investigating Henrietta Lacks and forgets to progress the story. This book is for anybody who enjoys ethical debates, cares about social issues, and enjoys medical dramas/family dramas/ literally any type of drama.
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Racism, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racial slurs and Pregnancy
Minor: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Murder
caidyn's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Cancer, Racism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Death of parent
mandi4886's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
booksjessreads's review against another edition
5.0
Henrietta Lacks was a 31-year-old black woman with 5 children when she died from cervical cancer. Howard Jones, her doctor, took a sample of her cancer without her knowledge or consent and shipped it off to a lab where it kept growing and growing. Researchers took advantage of this, but kept Henrietta's family in the dark about medical research taking place because of her.
Rebecca Skloot tells this story so amazingly. Half of the book is Skloot telling us how she acquired the information about Henrietta, and the other half is telling us about Henrietta's life, all combined to make the book. Skloot does the story justice, showing the hardship the family faced in light of all the secrets kept from them. She talks about the ethics of taking cells without consent, the crippling racism the family faced in 1950s America, and centre's the voices of the family and Henrietta, rather than imposing her own narrative throughout the story.
A side note that half of the proceeds of the book go to Henrietta's family. The family didn't receive a single penny of the medical research or sales of Henrietta's cells, so if you ever get a chance to read the book, I encourage you to buy it (if you didn't need encouraging enough!)
Honestly such an incredible read and certainly one of my absolute favourites this year!
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
janice_sumka's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual assault
foreverinastory's review against another edition
5.0
CWs: Abandonment, ableism, addiction, blood, cancer, child abuse, chronic illness, death, death of parent, drug abuse/use, emotional abuse, fatphobia, forced institutionalization, grief, incest, infidelity, medical content, medical trauma, mental illness (PTSD), physical abuse, pedophilia, pregnancy, racial slurs, racism, rape, sexual assault, sexual content, sexual harassment, terminal illness, vomit.
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
klfgasaway's review against another edition
4.75
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content
trixiez's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Racism, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Death of parent
vampiretree's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Moderate: Chronic illness, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse