The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, melds science writing, memoir and journalism, and finds racial exploitation and divides. Skloot uses a first-person exploration to find answers about cells taken and used. These HeLa cells are sold and used around the world. While there is a public good, Skloot and the Lacks family question the profiteering and business model that sells biopsied cells from medical patients. For writers and readers, this compelling story unearths the facts in a novelistic fashion while tracking down clues, explaining science, and revealing a real family who is suffering and filled with mistrust for the scientific community that was never honest with them. Skloot herself becomes a fascinating character as her search for facts and for a way to find answers without adding to the exploitation of the Lacks family drives an important narrative theme.
