Book Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

by Rebecca Skloot
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book blew my mind in so many ways. I'd never heard of HeLa or Henrietta Lacks before this book, but she has definitely had an impact on my life. Her cells -taken without her knowledge in 1951- became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping and more.

This book is nonfiction, but it reads like fiction. The author did a fantastic job explaining tricky scientific concepts in ways that were easy to understand and didn't feel condescending. She also does a fantastic job of not having an agenda, which is SO refreshing. The story doesn't feel slanted in favor of one party or the other. The author doesn't judge the characters. She simply tells the story using interesting facts, and then leaves the reader in charge of deciding how to feel.

And the "how do I feel" bit is pretty complicated. This book is going to be on my mind for a long time. Love it!