The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Dyed HeLa cells

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Rebecca Skloot
Edition Published February 2010


In an unmarked grave, lies Henrietta Lacks, whose cells have made monumental contributions to science, but not without controversy.

In 1951, a young black woman named Henrietta Lacks died from cervical cancer leaving five children behind.  Yet, cancer cells taken from her body (named HeLa cells) live on and have almost single-handedly revolutionized cellular science and the pharmaceutical industry.

While Skloot's book does cover the science aspects of HeLa cells, it is mainly a quest to get to know Henrietta Lacks and her other contributions to the world, namely her children. A memoir of Skloot's quest to delve deeper into the story, the book is unlike anything I have ever read before.  I opened it expecting one thing, and found myself confronted with a reality I never conceived.  For me, the book explored the mother-daughter bond and the heart wrenching tale of a black woman trying to feel connected to a mom she couldn't remember and yearned so desperately for.

Cells, once removed from the body become the property of the scientist/doctor conducting the research.  As such the Lacks Family has not benefited financially from the HeLa revolution.  And although Skloot's book will not improve the day to day lives of Henrietta's children: she has set up a fund to provide for the educational needs of the Lacks' children.

I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone ready to conquer reality, in all its splendor and squalor.