September’s Book Selection Is Rebecca Skloots Book, “The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks”

In 1951 a poor young black woman, Henrietta Lacks, was diagnosed with cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Cells taken from her during that exam were used –without her knowledge – to develop the first immortal cell line. The cells, called HeLa, became one of the most important tools in medical research, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more, but Henrietta Lacks, the person who was the source of these cells, was virtually unknown, and her family was never informed about what had been achieved using her cells. Although their mother’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions the Lacks family have received nothing from those cell lines, and cannot even afford health insurance today. This book tells the stories of the cells called HeLa and of Henrietta Lacks and her descendants, especially her daughter, Deborah, who was consumed with questions about the mother she never knew. At the same time it traces the history of cell research and examines the ethical and legal issues raised by this research. “The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks” many awards include: the National Academies Best Book of the Year Award, the Salon Book Award, and 100 New York Times Notable Books Of The Year. The paperback edition had spent 75 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list.

 

Stop by the library and check out this book people in Spalding are reading this month!

This entry was posted in Library News!!. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *