Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

92 reviews

savannahsshelf's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

4.75

Initial read: June-July 2019 4.5⭐️
Reread January 2024 4.75-5⭐️

If you’re in science or medicine this is required reading. If you do research on people or human cells and haven’t read this… do that right now! 

Every single person reading this review had their life changed by Henrietta Lacks’ cells so you might as well read the book about her and them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, and Murder

sztokfisz's review

emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Incest, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma

challengermilo's review

dark hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0

Had to read it for school so it was harder to enjoy, I'm sure I would've liked it more if I read it on my own time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Death of parent

beccaj11's review

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, and Classism

Minor: Slavery and Suicide

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Antisemitism, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Deadnaming and War

parasolcrafter's review

emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

5.0

this book....i really dont know what i can say about it. i learned SO MUCH about something i had never even head of before picking it up, and it was both fascinating and heartbreaking to read about all of it. i wish all the best for hentrietta lacks family and hope that her and those of her family who have passed are resting easily <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

doric's review against another edition

2.75

I think this book is really important in the story it tells, my issue is with the author and her exploitation of the family for her own personal gain

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Incest

marioncromb's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

Easy to read, very informative. Empathetic and meticulously researched. Tells the story of Lacks' family alternating with the story of her cells. Maybe a little long with unneccessary detail. Quite US centric - would have been nice to know about laws surrounding tissues etc worldwide for comparison.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, and Death of parent

Moderate: Death, Racism, Grief, Medical trauma, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

arttichokedipp's review

challenging informative sad slow-paced

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism

jessicayaun's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism