James Pikulinski Pikulinski itibaren Kukuo, Ghana
Would you believe that a nonfiction about the history of cell research would be an engrossing page turner? Henrietta Lacks' cancerous cell tissue formed the basis of the immortal HeLa cell line, leading to great advances in medicine and scientific inquiry. That story is riveting in itself, but for years that is as far as the story went. This book fleshes out the woman behind the cell line - born black and poor in the segregated south, but vivacious and strong in the face of more than her share of troubles. We also learn about Henrietta's children and grandchildren and their decades-long struggle to learn the truth about their mother's contribution to science. Finally, we see first hand how the author interacted with these family members and slowly won their trust. The warts-and-all portrayal of the children is hard to read sometimes, and a little voice inside me questions whether Skloot sometimes crossed the line into exploiting them, especially Henrietta's daughter Deborah. Her portrayal is ultimately generous and loving, though, and the result is a very moving book.