-Laure Aurelian, colleague of George Gey at Johns Hopkins
I have just reread this book since it was Page Turners' May selection and I first read it in December of 2012. In fact, I've noticed my original block post (after the first broken line) doesn't include a quote or a rating. In this update, I've added a quote and a picture plus a rating of 4. It did not reach a 5 for me because there is some medical terminology which is over my head. I do think it is an excellent book, however, and I am glad I read it---twice, even!
I have just discovered there is a 2017 movie of the same name, starring Oprah Winfrey as Deborah Lacks. I watched a trailer and can hardly wait to see the whole film.
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December, 2012
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks had been recommended to me by at least two friends and when I finally got around to reading it, I was so glad I did! I admit that fiction is my genre of choice, especially historical. Rarely do I select a nonfiction, particularly one related to science but this one captured me early on.
Henrietta Lacks was a black woman who died of cancer in 1951. At that time her cells were harvested and since then have been successfully grown in laboratories around the world to the point where her cells would now weigh over 50 million metric tons! This event has had both positive and negative results. The cells, designated HeLa (2 letters from first and last names) have been instrumental in many medical developments such as the polio vaccine, cancer and virus research, in vitro fertilization, cloning, gene mapping, and the affects of the atomic bomb and zero gravity in space. On the negative side the Lacks family was kept in the dark for 20 years, learning little of the significance of Henrietta's affect on the world until the author began to delve into medical records and family history and conduct countless interviews with the people involved. The Lacks received neither remuneration nor gratitude for Henrietta's contribution.
It seemed that Ms. Skloot was relentless in her research and her efforts to earn the trust of the Lacks family. She admits in an interview the project was a decade in the making. She was obviously very patient and passionate about the story she was trying to share.
Not only was I impressed with the author's determination to give Henrietta, the woman, the immortality her cells had already achieved but I developed great empathy for her family, especially Deborah Lacks.
I recommend this book to women and anyone in the medical field. After you read it, I think you would want to check out rebeccaskloot.com for video clips and more.
http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/
Henrietta Lacks has become one of my new heroes. There is much of her story that will stay with me for a long time. Wouldn't it be awesome to know how many people are alive today because of those HeLa cells! Thank you, Henrietta!
-------------------------------------------------May 20, 2021
Page Turners met today at the home of one member. It was a beautiful day to sit on the patio. Our discussion was rousing, as I thought it would be---issues of race, medical ethics, spirituality and more. Some in the group enjoyed the technical aspects while others found those parts tedious. Several folks appreciated the Lacks family dynamics more than the science. Some members were involved in the medical profession and had valuable input. We were all impressed with the author's extensive research and one friend reminded us that the author has established a foundation to honor Henrietta Lacks and benefit her descendants. Some in the group felt we should contribute.
I summarized an article I had found in our local paper having to do with the Tuskegee syphilis study several decades ago which deceived many Black men and left people of color skeptical of doctors and hospitals and perhaps, even today, influencing the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. This study was mentioned in the book.
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