‘Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ by Rebecca Skloot

At first glance, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” is a scientific journal, chronicling the story of cells taken from a poor black woman dying of cancer in 1951 and cultured — thriving, reproducing, and surviving more than half a century later.

But this book is so much more. Through years of research, interviews and investigative journalism, author Rebecca Skloot has written a passionate story that brings Henrietta — as well as her cells — to life. With infinite patience, she uncovers the truth about Henrietta, the unwitting donor behind HeLa, her remarkable cells that have impacted scientific and medical research so profoundly.

With unfaltering perseverance, Skloot tracks down the remnants of Henrietta’s family, learning of Henrietta’s strength as she and her husband struggled to raise five children, as she silently battled cancer, as the family fell apart after her death.

Skloot recalls her early fascination with HeLa, her decision to one day learn and write about the woman behind the cells. She speaks of the inequities of the time, when poor blacks were subjected to experimental medical treatment and substandard care. Skloot never wavers in her quest to help Henrietta’s children get their mother the recognition she deserves, though the family is bitter and wary and often resistant. Eventually, Skloot gains acceptance and earns respect from the family, making good on her promise to expose the medical community’s disregard of Henrietta’s — and other patients’ — rights, setting the record straight and changing policies for the future.

We are introduced to the many doctors and researchers who worked with Henrietta’s cells, and with Skloot’s skillful writing, we understand the complexities of cell culturing and can appreciate the moral and ethical dilemmas of the groundbreaking research of the era. Rebecca Skloot has given us a gut-wrenching, and ultimately, triumphant story of a tiny woman whose contribution made a big impact on the quality of all our lives.

Jami Carpenter is a freelance editor for Stephens Press, former host of Vegas PBS "Book Club" talk show, and co-author of “Education in the Neon Shadow."