The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Rebecca Skloot, Rebecca Skloot

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English

Random House Inc
03 August 2011

Ethnic studies; Medical research; History of medicine; Mathematics & Sciences; History of science; Cellular biology (cytology)

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “The story of modern medicine and bioethics—and, indeed, race relations—is refracted beautifully, and movingly.”—Entertainment Weekly

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

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY 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.

By: Rebecca Skloot, Rebecca Skloot
Imprint: Random House Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 133mm, Spine: 27mm
Weight: 340g
ISBN: 9781400052189
ISBN 10: 1400052181
Pages: 381
Publication Date: 03 August 2011
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

REBECCA SKLOOT is an award-winning science writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine; O, The Oprah Magazine; Discover; and many others. She is coeditor of The Best American Science Writing 2011 and has worked as a correspondent for NPR's Radiolab and PBS's Nova ScienceNOW. She was named one of five surprising leaders of 2010 by the Washington Post. Skloot's debut book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, took more than a decade to research and write, and instantly became a New York Times bestseller. It was chosen as a best book of 2010 by more than sixty media outlets, including Entertainment Weekly, People, and the New York Times. It is being translated into more than twenty-five languages, adapted into a young reader edition, and being made into an HBO film produced by Oprah Winfrey and Alan Ball. Skloot is the founder and president of The Henrietta Lacks Foundation. She has a B.S. in biological sciences and an MFA in creative nonfiction. She has taught creative writing and science journalism at the University of Memphis, the University of Pittsburgh, and New York University. She lives in Chicago. For more information, visit her website at RebeccaSkloot.com, where you'll find links to follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Reviews for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Selected for More than Sixty Best of the Year Lists Including: New York Times Notable Book Entertainment Weekly #1 Nonfiction Book of the Year New Yorker Reviewers' Favorite American Library Association Notable Book People Top Ten Book of the Year Washington Post Book World Top Ten Book of the Year Salon.com Best Book of the Year USA Today Ten Books We Loved Reading O, The Oprah Magazine Top Ten Book of the Year National Public Radio Best of the Bestsellers Boston Globe Best Nonfiction Book of the Year Financial Times Nonfiction Favorite Los Angeles Times Critics' Pick Bloomberg Top Nonfiction New York magazine Top Ten Book of the Year Slate.com Favorite Book of the Year TheRoot.com Top Ten Book of the Year Discover magazine 2010 Must-Read Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year Library Journal Top Ten Book of the Year Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year U.S. News & World Report Top Debate-Worthy Book Booklist Top of the List--Best Nonfiction Book I could not put the book down . . . The story of modern medicine and bioethics--and, indeed, race relations--is refracted beautifully, and movingly. -- Entertainment Weekly Science writing is often just about 'the facts.' Skloot's book, her first, is far deeper, braver, and more wonderful. --New York Times Book Review The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a triumph of science writing...one of the best nonfiction books I have ever read. --Wired.com A deftly crafted investigation of a social wrong committed by the medical establishment, as well as the scientific and medical miracles to which it led. --Washington Post Riveting...a tour-de-force debut. --Chicago Sun-Times A real-life detective story, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks probes deeply into racial and ethical issues in medicine . . . The emotion

Winner of 2010 Indie Lit Award for NonFiction 2010
Winner of Ambassador Book Award in American Studies 2011
Winner of American Association for the Advancement of Science's Young Adult Science Book Award 2010
Winner of Audie Awards 2010