Book Review: "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," by Rebecca Skloot

Author's Notes: 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.

There's no way Henrietta Lacks could have known that her cancer cells would, in no small part, help save the world from deadly disease. She died of cervical cancer in the early 1950s. But, her cells proved to be immortal and, because of that, have been able to help clinical researchers find the vaccine for polio, unlock the chromosomal key of Downs Syndrome, help in the understanding of every type of cancer that afflicts humankind, cloning and much, much more. The saddest aspect of the story...while the medical research industry made a fortune growing and selling her cells, her family never saw a dime of that money and couldn't even afford health insurance. 

Skloot tells the engrossing story from the human perspective, explaining the science in layman's terms. She honors the family's final spiritual acceptance of Henrietta's suffering death as a challenge to learn just what her sacrifice meant to the world and continue that legacy. I found the story singularly moving and enlightening. It should be required reading for any person who works in the field of clinical research. They owe that much to Henrietta.