The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

She was a mother of five, a terrific cook, loved to go out dancing with her cousin, and never went out without making sure her red toenails were painted to perfection. Although she was a poor tobacco farmer, she lived life to the fullest. Except to her family and small community, this woman was unknown to the world. But then cervical cancer changed the course of her history, her children's history, and that of the world of science forever.

Her name was Henrietta Lacks. She was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951 for treatment of an agressive strain of cervical cancer. Cells from her tumor were taken without her knowledge or consent. Those cells have launched a scientific revolution, responsible for discoveries including the polio vaccine, chemotherapy treatments, and invitro-fertilization procedures. She died nearly 60 years ago, yet her cells continue to thrive and continue to be used for scientific and medical research. But while her cells have been mulitiplying and while researchers and doctors have cashed in on discoveries related to her cells and while the public benefits from vaccines and treatments that her cells have helped discover, Henrietta Lacks's children have not faired as well.

As I am not the scientific type, I went into this read with a little trepidation. But I am so glad I went for it. This novel brings to life the fact that behind all medical research, there is indeed a human connection involved. Because we are so wrapped up in finding cures and breakthroughs, we lose focus of that emotional factor. This book reminds us that behind that cancerous tumor, behind those cancerous cells, there once lived a human with a life and a family, someone who was loved and someone who had loved back. And that person deserves a name, and her history deserves to be preserved, and her family deserves to be dignified. Henrietta Lacks will now truly be immortal thanks to Rebecca Skloot.