A review by emlo
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

Rebecca Skloot spent about 10 yrs researching this book and her involvement with the family over the years, especially Deborah, Henrietta's daughter, features prominently. The book is a lot of things: part social history, part biography of Henrietta and her family, part science - explaining HeLa cells and their impact on biological research, part exploration of medical ethics, and part journal of Rebecca's journey writing the book. I think the book is richer and more engaging for incorporating all these things. It's fascinating and painful in equal measure, and posses some interesting questions about informed consent and who has the right to say what happens to parts of our bodies. 
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