The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Softcover

Skloot, Rebecca

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0330533444 ISBN 13: 9780330533447

Publisher: Pan, 2011

Synopsis

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 fascinating 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.

About this title

Review:

A fascinating, harrowing, necessary book. (Hilary Mantel 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)

Book Description:

The internationally bestselling story of a young woman whose death in 1951 changed medical science for ever . . .

About this edition

• Publisher: Pan
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0330533444
• ISBN 13: 9780330533447
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 431