What book am I talking about? The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Go read it as soon as you can. (I'm returning my copy to the library tomorrow before I get hit with some overdue fines!) This is an amazing book. It's Skloot's first book too - she really knocked it out of the park with this one. It is an amazing story.
The book consists of three stories:the life of Henrietta Lacks and her amazing cells, the life her children led after her death, and Skloot's own journey to uncover the truth about Henrietta Lacks and to meet with her descendants. But who was Henrietta Lacks? And how did she become responsible for so many medical and scientific advances?
Henrietta Lacks was a poor black woman who was born in 1920 in Clover, Virginia - a small town which no longer exists. In pursuit of a better life, she moved to Baltimore with her husband and 5 children, including youngest daughter Deborah Lacks. But life did not improve in Baltimore for Henrietta. She developed a very rapid-growing form of cervical cancer. Cancer treatments in the 1940's-50's were still in their infancy. The doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital succeeded in reducing the tumor in her cervix, but soon found out it had spread everywhere throughout her body. Henrietta died shortly thereafter, in 1951, leaving 5 children, several very young. Before her death, researchers at the Johns Hopkins hospital had taken a biopsy of the cervical cancer cells to use in their research.
The goal in research at the time was to create an immortal cell line. Cell samples were taken to the lab, only to be thrown away in disgust when the cells failed to thrive. But Henrietta's sample was unlike any other cell line - the cells grew rapidly. The cell line was named He-La, after Henrietta's initials, and soon it was being used in labs around the world. But for years, the identity of the woman whose body provided those cells has been forgotten.
Skloot tells the story of Henrietta Lacks and her descendants, while weaving through it the story of her own discovery of Henrietta Lacks, He-La, and her quest to contact Henrietta's descendants and write the book. Many pharmaceutical companies have profited from He-La; yet Henrietta's descendants cannot get medical insurance. Skloot addresses the questions of fairness and ethics in medicine while painting a compelling story of the development of medical research from the 1950's onwards. Skloot also draws you in to the life of Henrietta's daughter Deborah and her discovery of her mother's miraculous cells. He-La has affected the Lacks family in both good and bad ways and Skloot addresses the bad side, without being sensationalist. The He-La burden has not been an easy one to bear, and the reader really begins to feel for Henrietta's daughter Deborah and her journey to find meaning in He-La and to learn about her mother.
Skloot handles the science well - she doesn't dumb it down, but explains it in clear words as to make it understandable to the average reader. I found this book fascinating and compelling. It was impossible to put down. I enjoyed the stories of the three women: Henrietta, Deborah, and Rebecca. This is an amazing book. Even if you don't think you are interested in science, cell lines, and cancer research, you will be drawn in to the story of He-La. Skloot finds the human side of medical research while giving the history of cancer treatments, an interesting overview of medical treatment and the segregation of America, and inviting discussion on medical ethics. This is a fantastic book. Go read it.
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