The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot * 256 Pages
Heartbreaking and powerful, unsettling yet compelling, The Immortal Life of HenriettaLacks is a richly textured story of the hidden costs of scientific progress. Deftly weaving together history, journalism and biography, Rebecca Skloot’s sensitive account tells of the enduring, deeply personal sacrifice of this African American woman and her family and, at long last, restores a human face to the cell line that propelled 20th century biomedicine. A stunning illustration of how race, gender and disease intersect to produce a unique form of social vulnerability, this is a poignant, necessary and brilliant book.
Discussion Leader: Pi Irwin; Refreshment Assistants: Susan Boynton and Laura Gant
