Henrietta Lacks, not HeLa

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot(cover)

I recently read a book that looks at the other side of a well known story. Many people know about HeLa, the miraculous human tissue cells that have survived in culture since the mid twentieth century, but very few people know the story behind those cells. That story is told in the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. The book tells Henrietta's story, her family's story, and the history of patient treatment in the medical world.

In the prologue, Rebecca Skloot tells us that she wanted to write this book because she felt that it was wrong that Henrietta's story went untold. Everyone knows about the miraculous things that HeLa has done for science, but barely any one knows anything about the person who the cells belong to. In fact, many people think that her name was Helen Lane, not Henrietta Lacks. Rebecca Skloot wanted to give Henrietta Lacks justice, and she definitely did just that.

There are three main focuses in this book: Henrietta's life and the history of her cells, the Lacks family, and the history of clinical trial guidelines, especially the treatment of African Americans in clinical trials.

Henrietta Lacks was born on August 1, 1920. Her maiden name was Pleasant. Her mother was Eliza Lacks Pleasant, and her father was Johnny Pleasant. When Henrietta was four, her mother died giving birth to her tenth child. Johnny Pleasant wasn't a good father, so Henrietta went to live with her grandfather, Tommy Lacks. She grew up on his tobacco farm with her cousin, David "Day" Lacks, whom she later married. Henrietta was diagnosed with cervical cancer at age thirty one. She was treated for it, and things seemed to be going well, until her cancer spread. She died at age 31. During her initial diagnosis, some cells were taken from her cancer, and given to George Gey (pronounced "Guy"). He had been trying to grow cells in culture(grow human cells out of the body) for years. For some reason, her cells grew, and HeLa was born. Henrietta's cells were essential to many scientific discoveries. They were used to test the polio vaccine, used to pioneer treatments for cancer, and to expand the fields of biology and genetics much more.

Rebecca Skloot tells the story of the Lacks family through her encounters and experiences with them, starting with her efforts to contact the Lacks family, and moving on to her experiences with them, gradually piecing together the story as she goes along. We get a comprehensive view of their family throughout different chapters of the book. The Lacks family actually didn't know very much about what happened to Henrietta, and no one gave consent for her cells to be taken. Rebecca Skloot worked with the Lackses to find out about Henrietta, and get some recognition for Henrietta. Now there has been an agreement between the Lacks family and some of the scientists working with her cells, concerning use of Henrietta's genome.

A picture of HeLa cells. They have been dyed for visibility.

Overall, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a great book, that I really enjoyed. It was not too difficult to keep going, because Rebecca Skloot wrote it almost like a story. I was never bored by walls of facts, or dull, slow text. The one thing that I would have liked to see more of was just a little more explanation of the science. Rebecca Skloot explains enough so that the reader knows what is happening, and describes a lot of discoveries made with HeLa, but there is almost a feeling of suspense of the science of what makes HeLa unique. I understand that this book is pointedly not about that side of the stoey, but I was left with a sense of yearning for more.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. It is easy to read, and it is really interesting. The content made me want to read more and more. I also think that this book is very important in our lives. It is a classic example of someone who has changed our lives so much, but who we almost completely take for granted. Rebecca Skloot spread light on that person, so that people can realize her contributions to society.

More about the agreement between the Lacks family and the medical community
More about Henrietta Lacks