The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

By: Rebecca Skloot

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Bahni Turpin

Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Number one New York Times best seller.

Now a major motion picture from HBO® starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne.

One of the “most influential” (CNN), “defining” (Lit Hub), and “best” (The Philadelphia Inquirer) books of the decade.

One of essence’s 50 most impactful Black books of the past 50 years.

Named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, O: The Oprah Magazine, NPR, Financial Times, New York, Independent (UK), Times (UK), Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Globe, and Mail.

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells - taken without her knowledge - became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than 60 years. 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. Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than 20 years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family - past and present - is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.

Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family - especially Henrietta’s daughter Deborah. Deborah was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Had they killed her to harvest her cells? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance? Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences.

©2010 Rebecca Skloot (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

Winner of The Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for nonfiction

"The story of modern medicine and bioethics - and, indeed, race relations - is refracted beautifully, and movingly.” (Entertainment Weekly)

"Writing with a novelist's artistry, a biologist's expertise, and the zeal of an investigative reporter, Skloot tells a truly astonishing story of racism and poverty, science and conscience, spirituality and family driven by a galvanizing inquiry into the sanctity of the body and the very nature of the life force." (

Booklist)

A wonderfully educational story

I believe it would benefit all students and professors of science to read this book. It puts the story of Henrietta Lacks and others into a light that hasn't been looked at before. Amazing break down of the study of cells and their use in research that makes it comprehensible for all.

Profoundly Powerful!!!

I have to first off say that this book was an assigned reading for my college course on ethics and healthcare responsibility. I completed the course, graduated the summer of 2020 but I could not leave this book unfinished. Ms. Skloot did an incredible job not only with explaining scientific jargon and the process involved in cell research but her connection with the family shone through on every page. I became a part of the Lacks family as I read their story of what their mother went through and in turn how her passing affected them. Thank you for humanizing HeLa cells for me and the world. Both of the narrators did a superb job of bringing this story to life. I was listening and reading along at the same time. It was an unforgettable experience and I highly recommend that everyone do the same. You will not regret it and you are sure to be a different person (more educated) than you were when you began this book.

Eye opening

it am obsessed with this story. So much was. explained but I still want to know more. I'm 10 + years late. I feel like a part of Deborah lived in me. So well done.

very informative

it was very interesting to hear about cell research and how it impacts families and science.

An eye opener!

What did you love best about The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks?

I liked how the author intertwined the personal lives of Henrietta and her family into the story while explaining about HELA cells and also exploring the ethics of medical science practices in a very easy to understand way.

Have you listened to any of Cassandra Campbell and Bahni Turpin ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

Any additional comments?

This book was shocking and a real eyeopener for me. Not something I typically would have chosen for myself to read, but I read it because it was required for my book club. I am glad that had a chance to read this book and take away some important knowledge that I otherwise would not have had.

Such an Important story

A fascinating story not only for women but also for understanding the impact of research and tissue sampling. How the cells from One woman have made such an impact on the lives of so many. 5 stars

Great book

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the way it covered so many aspects of medicine and this woman’s life.

everyone needs to read this book

This book is the encapsulation of so much that we did not know about medicine, and some small part of what we do know now. It is an absolutely magnificent exploration of what each of us can contribute to the world and how some of us, particularly Henrietta Lacks, can contribute so much more.

Brilliant

I was swept away by this story while gaining a fascinating insight into cell research.

Great Book!

A story about a daughter and her journey to find out about her mother, with the help of a wonderful reporter.
I laughed, I cried, I was educated for sure, and I throughly enjoyed it!!