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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Publisher
Pan Macmillan
Publish Date
7 January 2011
Run Time
12 hours 34 minutes
Format
Audiobook

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What to expect

A heartbreaking account of a medical miracle: how one woman’s cells – taken without her knowledge – have saved countless lives. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a true story of race, class, injustice and exploitation.

‘No dead woman has done more for the living . . . A fascinating, harrowing, necessary book.’ – Hilary Mantel, Guardian

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. Born a poor black tobacco farmer, her cancer cells – taken without her knowledge – became a multimillion-dollar industry and one of the most important tools in medicine. Yet Henrietta’s family did not learn of her ‘immortality’ until more than twenty years after her death, with devastating consequences . . .

Rebecca Skloot’s moving account is the story of the life, and afterlife, of one woman who changed the medical world forever. Balancing the beauty and drama of scientific discovery with dark questions about who owns the stuff our bodies are made of, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an extraordinary journey in search of the soul and story of a real woman, whose cells live on today in all four corners of the world.

Now an HBO film starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne.

Critics Review

  • A fascinating, harrowing, necessary book.

    Guardian

  • A heartbreaking account of racism and injustice.

    Metro

  • A fine book . . . a gripping read . . . The book has deservedly been a huge bestseller in the US. It should be here, too.

    Sunday Times

User Reviews

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Details

Author
Rebecca Skloot
Narrator
Cassandra Campbell
Duration
12 hours 34 minutes
Release Date
7 January 2011
ISBN
9780230754058
Format
Audiobook
Publisher
Pan Macmillan
Genre
Biography: science, technology and medicine, True stories of survival of abuse and injustice, True stories of discovery, Biochemistry, Popular science, Bioethics, Ethnic groups and multicultural studies, Racism and racial discrimination / Anti-racism

Synopsis

A heartbreaking account of a medical miracle: how one woman’s cells – taken without her knowledge – have saved countless lives. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a true story of race, class, injustice and exploitation.‘No dead woman has done more for the living . . . A fascinating, harrowing, necessary book.’ – Hilary Mantel, GuardianHer name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. Born a poor black tobacco farmer, her cancer cells – taken without her knowledge – became a multimillion-dollar industry and one of the most important tools in medicine. Yet Henrietta’s family did not learn of her ‘immortality’ until more than twenty years after her death, with devastating consequences . . .Rebecca Skloot’s moving account is the story of the life, and afterlife, of one woman who changed the medical world forever. Balancing the beauty and drama of scientific discovery with dark questions about who owns the stuff our bodies are made of, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an extraordinary journey in search of the soul and story of a real woman, whose cells live on today in all four corners of the world.Now an HBO film starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne.

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