"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks"
By Rebecca Skloot.
I do not usually choose to read a non-fiction book.
This book was actually recommended to me by a college
student, of a friend of mine, who was reading this for her summer college reading choice. I had heard of the book
but cells and blood did not always appeal to me.
Turns out this book grabbed me most of the read!
I learned more about how cells came to be grown in
a lab. These HeLa cells have produced major medical
break throughs. It's hard to believe that in the not too distant past
quality doctors at top hospitals took patient's cells without permission.
John Hopkins has always had an impeccable reputation. I found out that the hospital actually began as a hospital to serve indigent people.
HeLa cells, cells from Henrietta Lack's cancerous tumor, have been
grown over and over again. They were the first human cells reproduced
in a lab. And one do the most amazing parts of this book
is to learn that Henrietta's family had no idea for many years and never received compensation. Just recently they have been allowed to be involved
in the choice of some research involving HeLa cells via an agreement with
the National Institute of Health. This book reads like part thriller and part textbook. But the textbook is very easy to understand. Please
Add this book to your list!
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