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)

Most interesting biography I have ever read.

For such a long book, I was hooked the whole way. it was easy to understand, personable, and just so interesting!

Astonishing & amazing

A friend told us of the book she was assigned to read for a class and said of the many hundreds she has read, this one still stands out as the "best ever." I am inclined to agree...this book was fantastic and fascinating. For all the technical terms, the author explained very well.

So powerful!

Wow! This book was intense! I loved learning about Henrietta Lacks!! Now, if her family could just receive free medical coverage by Johns Hopkins, that would make sense!!

A wonderful book

There is an interview with Rebecca Skloot at the end where she gives insight into how difficult it was to build this handful of threads into a story. In my view she did a spectacular job. She tells the Lacks family story with obviously compassion. You really get an appreciation of their perspective. Rebecca also does a sound job on the science, legal and moral fronts. Its an intriguing story well told. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story with some learning along the way.

Jaw-dropper

This was an amazing book. I enjoyed every word and I like the narrator. This has been one of the best books I've read so far in my life. I found myself digging up information on the Lacks family and all the ways the HeLa cells were instrumental in research. I wish it were a happy ending for the family, but I'm honored that the author saw fit to tell such an amazing story. This book was also funny as well. Well done Boo. Lol ( you'll catch that later in the book)

I had no idea!

What a story! And it's true! Very interesting to listen to. I was worried I wouldn't understand all the medical stuff, but I did.

A beautiful combination of science & family

I resisted reading or listening to this book for a couple of years because it was hard to imagine that the subject matter would hold my interest. Bravo to Rebecca Scloot, the author, for taking what could have been a dry, scientific story about cell cultures and making it into a touching and sad story of race inequality, and a family grappling with their mother's death and her "immortal" life.

Unique Topic

Too much important information to only be able to listen to it without the ability to highlight it for future reference. I am old school and prefer text and audio. The book is good and informative. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in social justice in the scientific research field.

I definitely recommend this book

I love this book and it is now one of my favorites
I definitely think u should read this

A BOOK EVERYONE MUST READ! Thank you Ms. Skloot!

Loved every part of this book from beginning to end. I learned a lot about history for blacks, John Hopkins, Science, A Family that was done wrong, and the strength and courage it took for Debra and Rebecca to keep pushing forward no matter what!