Review
'It's a harrowing story and Rebecca Skloot tells it well.' --Sunday Telegraph Paperback Pick
'An extraordinary mix of memoir and science reveals the story of how one woman's cells have saved countless lives.'
--Daily Telegraph
'extraordinary . . . This haunting account of [Henrietta Lacks'] and her family's treatment unearths appalling racism and injustice beneath the beauty and drama of scientific discovery.' --Guardian
`Compelling story of the unsung woman whose cells have been used in dozens of medical breakthroughs.'
--Sunday Times
'An extraordinary mix of memoir and science reveals the story of how one woman's cells have saved countless lives.'
--Daily Telegraph
'extraordinary . . . This haunting account of [Henrietta Lacks'] and her family's treatment unearths appalling racism and injustice beneath the beauty and drama of scientific discovery.' --Guardian
`Compelling story of the unsung woman whose cells have been used in dozens of medical breakthroughs.'
--Sunday Times
Product Description
The internationally bestselling story of a young woman whose death in 1951 changed medical science for ever . . .
Book Description
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. Born a poor black tobacco farmer, her cancer cells -- taken without her knowledge -- became a multimillion-dollar industry and one of the most important tools in medicine. Yet Henrietta's family did not learn of her 'immortality' until more than twenty years after her death, with devastating consequences . . . Balancing the beauty and drama of scientific discovery with dark questions about who owns the stuff our bodies are made of, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an extraordinary journey in search of the soul and story of a real woman, whose cells live on today in all four corners of the world. 'A fascinating, harrowing, necessary book' Hilary Mantel, Guardian ‘A heartbreaking account of racism and injustice’ Metro 'A fine book... a gripping read...The book has deservedly been a huge bestseller in the US. It should be here, too' Sunday Times
About the Author
REBECCA SKLOOT is an award-winning science writer whose articles have appeared in the New York Times Magazine and O, the Oprah Magazine, among others. She has worked as a correspondent for NPR’s RadioLab and PBS’s Nova ScienceNOW, and blogs about science, life, and writing at Culture Dish, hosted by Seed magazine. She also teaches creative nonfiction at the University of Memphis. Visit her website at rebeccaskloot.com.
