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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Unabridged Audio Book

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Cassandra Campbell, Bahni Turpin

12 Hours 30 Minutes

Random House (Audio)

February 2010

Audio Book Summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “The story of modern medicine and bioethics—and, indeed, race relations—is refracted beautifully, and movingly.”—Entertainment Weekly

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM HBO® STARRING OPRAH WINFREY AND ROSE BYRNE • ONE OF THE “MOST INFLUENTIAL” (CNN), “DEFINING” (LITHUB), AND “BEST” (THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER) BOOKS OF THE DECADE • ONE OF ESSENCE’S 50 MOST IMPACTFUL BLACK BOOKS OF THE PAST 50 YEARS • WINNER OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE HEARTLAND PRIZE FOR NONFICTION

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Entertainment Weekly • O: The Oprah Magazine • NPR • Financial Times • New York • Independent (U.K.) • Times (U.K.) • Publishers Weekly • Library Journal • Kirkus Reviews • Booklist • Globe and Mail

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. 

Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family—past and present—is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of. 

Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family—especially Henrietta’s daughter Deborah. Deborah was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Had they killed her to harvest her cells? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance? 

Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences.

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Reviews

  • Anonymous

    The medical community showed very little compassion for Henrietta or her familiy. I'm not convinced this situation has changed when it comes to medical research. I can only hope the racist aspects have improved. Well researched and written.

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  • Anonymous

    Been meaning to get around to this one for many years. An incredible story. Lots of stuff going on here...biology, medicine, biography, family history, the author's quest to tell the story, and of course, racism and exploitation. One learns a lot about America while listening to this wonderful book,

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  • Anonymous

    The amount of research on the topic was incredible. The story of the family was also done incredibly well!

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  • Jerbma

    This story is fantastic. The author researched it for about a decade, so it is exceedingly well-informed, and she is a talented storyteller as well. The story itself is unbelievably remarkable and astounding. It truly is, and I mean no exaggeration. The scope and breadth of what was a small beginning has now become something beyond words. The main subject of this story is now part of so much in our lives, in so many ways and on so many levels is something the author lays out, and leaves you in awe. And this all centers in a human being, a woman, who is complex and has so much about her character and her being that is made clear as well as laid bare alongside the telling of this amazing story that while you learn of this incredible scientific endeavor, you never forget that the woman that made it all happen, throughout the entire story. \\r\\n\\r\\nI enjoyed this book immensely and can\\\'t recommend it highly enough.

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  • Kris R.

    I think Mrs Lacks family deserves every penny that was ever made selling Hela. This is tell tale signs of the different treatment that went on to persons of color. They should have at least get credit. I hope they win the lawsuit.

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  • Anonymous

    Wonderful, eye opening book.

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  • Emily B.

    Fascinating!! As a scientist, this was very interesting to read.

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  • Pamela M.

    Wonderfully written and narrated. Couldnt stop listening and reading. Makes me want to do my own research into African Americans as involuntary test subjects, etc.

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  • Saga R.

    Well written book and a very well researched book. The story of the cells that have always been of interest to me ( being a biochemist) both broke my heart and lifted my spirit.

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  • Novelette D.

    This book is soooo interesting! The subject matter was absolutely fascinating to me! I was sad when it ended. I wanted to keep listening. I just could not wait to get in my car so I could listen. This book made commuting fun!

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