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)

Heartbreaking and amazing

I loved every bit of this story. So much information about Henrietta Lacks, her family and Melinated ppl in the medical industry.

Wow. He-La cells. 10⭐s. Must read

Remarkable biography of the Lacks family and finding the truth about their mothers cells for research. Well written and told. Loved it

Fantastic story

I am so glad I was able to listen to this book. I didn’t want to stop. The story is so engaging and needs to be told.

incredibly influential.

It has not only educated me, but forever changed my view on the world. Not that I've changed my mind; I can't have an opinion about things I don't really know about. This book conveys the sort of information that makes you better see the world as it is.

Extraordinary

Interweaving the personal history of Henrietta and her family kept my interest and broke up the technical science into digestible chunks. This book raises ethical, economic, and legal issues with appropriate complexity. I appreciate how Skloot presented the family's lifestyles and religious beliefs with compassion.

I listened until the last second

This book was so interesting. It had science but it was so touching. The emotions of the family were intense. I loved that way Henrietta and Deborah’s lives were intertwined gave the story gravity that would not have been the same using only one of their lives and experiences. Thank you Rebecca for taking the time to get to know the family and building the trust. My favorite part was when Deborah and her brother went to JH to see the cells. I also enjoyed the when Deborah released the burden of the cells onto you. Very spiritual.

This is well worth the read.

Excellent!

This is written so well. The way she wove in the stories with all the science was brilliant. I really enjoyed it.

great book

great book very informative and interesting has a great story and gives lots of details on the topic

History

The fact that they continue to use this woman’s cells today to continue to make scientific breakthroughs is enough proof why people of color have a hard time trusting medical professionals

Loved This Learning Opportunity

This unique, non-fiction book was wonderful to read because the author inter-mingled a family's heart wrenching story with A LOT of science material to make it palpable and enjoyable.