Henrietta Lacks was an ordinary woman with an extraordinary legacy. Born into poverty as a black tobacco farmer in the segregated South, she unknowingly made one of the most significant contributions to modern medicine. When she sought treatment for cancer at Johns Hopkins in 1951, doctors took a sample of her cells without her consent—cells that would go on to revolutionize medical science. Known as HeLa cells, they became the first immortal human cells ever grown in culture, leading to groundbreaking medical discoveries, including the polio vaccine, gene mapping, and cancer treatments.
Despite the billions of dollars generated by HeLa cells, Henrietta's family remained in the dark about her unwitting contribution for over two decades—living in poverty while companies profited from their mother's genetic material. The story raises profound ethical questions about race, consent, and the ownership of biological material, exposing the intersection of scientific progress and human rights.
In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot masterfully blends science with personal storytelling, bringing Henrietta’s story to life with empathy and insight. The book is a gripping exploration of how one woman’s legacy continues to influence the world, while her family struggles with the injustice and emotional burden of her unrecognized contributions.
This powerful narrative offers a compelling look at the woman behind the cells, the scientific breakthroughs they enabled, and the ethical dilemmas that persist in medicine today.