I do not think that Skloot was reflexive enough in the parts where she was present. This is the reason why I docked one star from my overall review. She also acknowledges that she is a white, educated woman who is seeking to uncover the history of a poor, black woman. To take away from anyone's accents or mannerisms detracts from the authenticity of the book. ![]() It's important for me to note that Skloot adds a disclaimer in the beginning of the book that the dialogue she puts down on paper is exactly as spoken. She talks about how hard she worked to track down members of Henrietta's family, the great lengths she went to in order for them to trust her. I respected Skloot's accuracy in representing Lacks' symptoms and medical condition (even if a little grossed out).Īnd then Skloot threw herself into the mix. I was torn by the motivations of medical researchers versus the ignorance they showed about the African American communities they were also supposed to serve. ![]() I was thrown back into the 1950s, into Lacks' hometown of Clove, Virginia. Granted, the first half of the book revolved solely on historical facts and events. Race and community, the politics of medical care and practice, the legibility of scientific research and the accessibility of this important research in underserved communities. It touched on so many social and ethical issues that are still relevant today. But if you're still wary of these possible spoilers, skip all the way to the bottom of this blog post for my rating!Īs I started reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, I thought for sure this was going to be a 5-star read for me. I mention a few details from the book below, and I don't consider them spoilers because this is all nonfiction and you could easily stumble upon them on Wikipedia or otherwise. Interspersed between historical events, Skloot talks about the "present-day," where she is interacting with Lacks' family members, acquaintances, and medical professionals who worked on her case. For the majority of the first half of the book, Skloot objectively records how Henrietta Lacks first entered Johns Hopkins Hospital, how her immortal HeLa cells were discovered and then reproduced, and the scientific impact of them. The book talks in two separate timelines, and each chapter helpfully tells you which year it takes place in. So, I'll instead be reviewing Skloot's writing- not the Lacks story. In this case, journalist Rebecca Skloot took it upon herself to research Henrietta Lacks and her history, to write this book. Like I said in my review for Red Azalea, how do you critique someone's actual experiences and history? No one will disagree that the story of Henrietta Lack deserves recognition. It's always difficult to review a nonfiction book. The dark history of experimentation on African Americans helped lead to the birth of bioethics, and legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of. Today are stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells, East Baltimore children and grandchildren live in obscurity, see no profits, and feel violated. The journey starts in the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s, her small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia - wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo. Yet Henrietta Lacks was buried in an unmarked grave. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping and have been bought and sold by the billions. Cells descended from her may weigh more than 50M metric tons. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells were taken without her knowledge and still live decades after her death. Henrietta Lacks, as HeLa, is known to present-day scientists for her cells from cervical cancer. ![]() I took particular notice with the author's writing style, and that's what I'll be reviewing today. It's a story that deserves to be told around the world, in medical ethics classes, the social sciences, teacher's colleges, and on and on and on. I'm glad that I finally got around to reading the book. My interest in reading the book as first piqued when I heard that Oprah would be producing a movie based on it (and duh, it's OPRAH!). Good afternoon, friends and followers! Today, I talk about The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a biography written by Rebecca Skloot.
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