If you are not working in the medical field, you might not have ever heard of the HeLa cells. I don't remember how I heard of them myself, but I had a vage awareness of their existence before I came across this book.And a great book it is, especially for non-scientists (like me), since although it does cover the scientific aspects fo the story it does so in layman's terms. The bigger portion of the book is dedicated to the struggles of the Lacks family and the author's uphill battle in earning their trust.
It is a very emotional story, as the family themselves were kept in the dark about what was going on with the cells taken from Henrietta Lacks, or that indeed they had been harvested for scientific use in the first place. It is a sad and tragic family history that is uncovered - mostly through assistance of Henrietta's daughter Dorothy. The most emotional and hardest part to read was when they finally learn the story of little Elsie. I might have shed a few tears over that.
The basic info about HeLa cells can be found on wikipedia (of course). The story has also been made into a documentary that can be viewed online in its entirety here.
Very interesting read.
7/10
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