The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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Description
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM HBO® STARRING OPRAH WINFREY AND ROSE BYRNE • ONE OF THE “MOST INFLUENTIAL” (CNN), “DEFINING” (LITHUB), AND “BEST” (THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER) BOOKS OF THE DECADE • ONE OF ESSENCE’S 50 MOST IMPACTFUL BLACK BOOKS OF THE PAST 50 YEARS • WINNER OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE HEARTLAND PRIZE FOR NONFICTION • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE CENTURY
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, O: The Oprah Magazine, NPR, Financial Times, New York, Independent (U.K.), Times (U.K.), 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 sixty 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 twenty 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.
Book Information
Posts
I totally enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I am not a scientist and not into science at all.But it's important to remember that behind all great inventions and discoveries there are real people involved, whole families, sad and happy stories. I won't forget Henrietta for the rest of my life, that's for sure.
Super interessant! Spannend, Hintergründe zu den HeLa-Zellen und etwas aus dem Leben und der Familie von Henrietta Lacks zu erfahren. Wahnsinn was früher passiert ist und einfach so gemacht wurde, heute unvorstellbar. Faszinierend was Henrietta Lacks unwissend für die Wissenschaft geleistet hat, da kann man sich im Nachhinein und für die zukünftige Forschung nur bei ihr bedanken, also vielen Dank Henrietta!
As both a biologist and a science communicator, this book resonated with me twofold. I am fascinated by the advances HeLa cells enabled, yet this book reminded me to reflect on the complex and often convoluted history that underlies our day-to-day experiments and scientific knowledge. The story of Henrietta Lacks almost reads like a real-world version of Dürrenmatt’s Die Physiker, where the consequences of scientific discovery are profound. Yet unlike in the novel, where the scientists are at least conscious of the potential consequences of their work, many of the scientists surrounding Henrietta’s case seem unaware of the human impact of their actions. Skloot illustrates how science is never isolated. Every scientific advance is deeply intertwined with culture, society, lived experience, and trust. It supported my belief that scientists must not only explain their work but also listen and understand where public mistrust comes from. They must acknowledge when that mistrust is justified and work to build respect, and meaningful dialogue. Even over 15 years after its release, this book remains a vital call to reflect on ethics, responsibility, and improving science communication.
Rebecca Skloot saß in ihrem Biologieunterricht mit 16 Jahren und hörte dort zum ersten Mal von ihrem Lehrer den Namen Henrietta Lacks und ihren Zellen, die unsterblich waren und in der Wissenschaft für große Fortschritte geholfen hatten und immer noch halfen. Sie begann danach über Henrietta Lacks zu recherchieren, doch sehr viel fand sie nicht. Über zehn Jahre hat sie für dieses 2010 erschienene Buch recherchiert. Sie hat über 1000 Stunden mit Gesprächen mit Angehörigen von Henrietta, Medizinern, Ethikkommissionen und Wissenschaftlern verbracht. Noch mehr auf https://blog.ahukader.de
Life is truly stranger than fiction. This is an incredible story not only about the politics of tissue research and getting informed consent from patients, but even more so for me the story of a family, that more than 100 years after the abolition of slavery still feels the effects (poverty, lack of education, sub par access medical support etc). I am amazed by the time the author has invested in this work and I think her engagement shows.
Description
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM HBO® STARRING OPRAH WINFREY AND ROSE BYRNE • ONE OF THE “MOST INFLUENTIAL” (CNN), “DEFINING” (LITHUB), AND “BEST” (THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER) BOOKS OF THE DECADE • ONE OF ESSENCE’S 50 MOST IMPACTFUL BLACK BOOKS OF THE PAST 50 YEARS • WINNER OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE HEARTLAND PRIZE FOR NONFICTION • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE CENTURY
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, O: The Oprah Magazine, NPR, Financial Times, New York, Independent (U.K.), Times (U.K.), 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 sixty 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 twenty 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.
Book Information
Posts
I totally enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I am not a scientist and not into science at all.But it's important to remember that behind all great inventions and discoveries there are real people involved, whole families, sad and happy stories. I won't forget Henrietta for the rest of my life, that's for sure.
Super interessant! Spannend, Hintergründe zu den HeLa-Zellen und etwas aus dem Leben und der Familie von Henrietta Lacks zu erfahren. Wahnsinn was früher passiert ist und einfach so gemacht wurde, heute unvorstellbar. Faszinierend was Henrietta Lacks unwissend für die Wissenschaft geleistet hat, da kann man sich im Nachhinein und für die zukünftige Forschung nur bei ihr bedanken, also vielen Dank Henrietta!
As both a biologist and a science communicator, this book resonated with me twofold. I am fascinated by the advances HeLa cells enabled, yet this book reminded me to reflect on the complex and often convoluted history that underlies our day-to-day experiments and scientific knowledge. The story of Henrietta Lacks almost reads like a real-world version of Dürrenmatt’s Die Physiker, where the consequences of scientific discovery are profound. Yet unlike in the novel, where the scientists are at least conscious of the potential consequences of their work, many of the scientists surrounding Henrietta’s case seem unaware of the human impact of their actions. Skloot illustrates how science is never isolated. Every scientific advance is deeply intertwined with culture, society, lived experience, and trust. It supported my belief that scientists must not only explain their work but also listen and understand where public mistrust comes from. They must acknowledge when that mistrust is justified and work to build respect, and meaningful dialogue. Even over 15 years after its release, this book remains a vital call to reflect on ethics, responsibility, and improving science communication.
Rebecca Skloot saß in ihrem Biologieunterricht mit 16 Jahren und hörte dort zum ersten Mal von ihrem Lehrer den Namen Henrietta Lacks und ihren Zellen, die unsterblich waren und in der Wissenschaft für große Fortschritte geholfen hatten und immer noch halfen. Sie begann danach über Henrietta Lacks zu recherchieren, doch sehr viel fand sie nicht. Über zehn Jahre hat sie für dieses 2010 erschienene Buch recherchiert. Sie hat über 1000 Stunden mit Gesprächen mit Angehörigen von Henrietta, Medizinern, Ethikkommissionen und Wissenschaftlern verbracht. Noch mehr auf https://blog.ahukader.de
Life is truly stranger than fiction. This is an incredible story not only about the politics of tissue research and getting informed consent from patients, but even more so for me the story of a family, that more than 100 years after the abolition of slavery still feels the effects (poverty, lack of education, sub par access medical support etc). I am amazed by the time the author has invested in this work and I think her engagement shows.