The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks- Rebecca Skloot

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⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by The Original Susanne)

This was such an interesting book. I had vaguely heard of HeLa cells in some class but knew nothing about them. Look it up, it's super interesting. This book talks a lot about cells and cell research, which was really informative, but really focusses on the life of the cell 'donor' (did not actually knowingly donate) Henrietta Lacks and her family. It was absolutely heartbreaking to read about her family's life and the horrors they experienced after she died, and I was really moved by her daughter Debra's experience. The book also discusses the ethics around cell and tissue collection and donation, consent, monetary compensation for biological materials, and race issues. I felt like I learned a lot all around.

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