The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

There are few books that leave a lasting impression. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks does. I have previously read some non-ficton medical histories, all that I have found fascinating. The books on polio and small pox still linger in my mind. The book, The Greatest Experiment Ever Performed on Women immediately pops into my head when I see a new tv ad for birth control pills.

This book affected me in a similar fashion. The book is as much a history of cell culture and experimentation as it is about Henrietta Lacks. Without Henrietta Lacks, medical science would not have advanced. We would not have a polio vaccine and so many other countless advances. But getting the family to talk after decades of misinformation and misunderstanding was a miracle in itself.

Book rating: 4 stars. This a book worth reading.