The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

This book is a biography of Henrietta Lack, a black woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951. Before her death, Henrietta Lacks’ cells were harvested from her cervical tumor without her knowledge or consent. The HeLa cell line originates from these cancerous cervical cells, and it is the cell line most used for any study on human cells. Neither Henrietta nor her family were consulted nor informed about the mass distribution and use of her cells until decades later when her cells were already the cause of many medical discoveries and breakthroughs. This book was the first to paint the whole picture of the human behind the most famous cell line.

This book might be used in courses on research and medical ethics, on health (in)equities, or on narrative medicine.  For example, it sheds light on all of the factors, both medical and societal, that led to a lack of adequate or ethical care.  Her story shows the importance of health stories for humanizing medicine. It allows for reflection on the history of healthcare as it relates to women and people of color (specifically black people and black women).

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