THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS

THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS

By  Rebecca Skloot

Top of my 2011 summer reading list was this fascinating nonfiction about an African American female who was instrumental in a large portion of modern medical advancements by means of her cancerous cells that were taken in 1951.  These cells named, HeLa, have been harvested ever since and are standard cells used in the medical research industry to this day. The companies that farm these cells have prospered to the tune of billions of dollars while her family lived very poor. Henrietta died a heartbreakingly painful death at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, at the young age of 32 but her cells have gone on without her. This bizarre and somewhat disturbing phenomenon was written with page turning emotion about Henrietta and her family. It was a haunting literary journey I will never forget.  The narrative educated me with scientific clarity about the world and business of medical research. I was led  through the issues of humanity and was given the facts and uncomfortable picture of a need for legal governing in this matter. I went from shaking my head to crying and from that to ranting during the course of reading this work. Ms Skloot wrote an endearing human narrative with literary expertise. It was also an informative text with understandable detail. I can truthfully say I learned more than I wanted to know about the subject and am better for it. She takes you from the poverty of Clover, Virginia to the promised land of Baltimore, Maryland. You swing from the 1920s into the 21st century on a literary trek that keeps your emotions raw. It’s knowledge we all should have and forces pertinent questions while driving home the point that we must find a way to conduct research in an ethical manner. Many unfair practices were brought out about what doctors and researchers did but the advancements were life saving and undeniably impacted our culture for the better. That said it does not change the underhanded and incompassionate treatment SOME patients faced in the name of medical advancement. Lack of financial compensation and ethical behavior are only two of the outrages I railed against. I won’t get into Henrietta’s adulterous and less then admirable spouse whose actions may have well played a roll in her swift demise. By the end of the book I felt  I knew this woman and her dear family’s pain.  It’s a gripping account well worth reading.  I highly recommend it.

5 stars