The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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Narrated by:
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Cassandra Campbell
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Bahni Turpin
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Written by:
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Rebecca Skloot
About this listen
Number one New York Times best seller.
Now a major motion picture from HBO® starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne.
One of the “most influential” (CNN), “defining” (Lit Hub), and “best” (The Philadelphia Inquirer) books of the decade.
One of essence’s 50 most impactful Black books of the past 50 years.
Named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, O: The Oprah Magazine, NPR, Financial Times, New York, Independent (UK), Times (UK), Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Globe, and Mail.
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells - taken without her knowledge - became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than 60 years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.
Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than 20 years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family - past and present - is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.
Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family - especially Henrietta’s daughter Deborah. Deborah was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Had they killed her to harvest her cells? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance? Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences.
©2010 Rebecca Skloot (P)2010 Random HouseWhat the critics say
Winner of The Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for nonfiction
"The story of modern medicine and bioethics - and, indeed, race relations - is refracted beautifully, and movingly.” (Entertainment Weekly)
"Writing with a novelist's artistry, a biologist's expertise, and the zeal of an investigative reporter, Skloot tells a truly astonishing story of racism and poverty, science and conscience, spirituality and family driven by a galvanizing inquiry into the sanctity of the body and the very nature of the life force." (
Booklist)
What listeners say about The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Claudia
- 2023-08-17
Amazing
I loved the book and enjoyed reading it. the narration is very good and opened my mind to a different aspect and perspective of science and humanity.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-03-08
This is a must read!
I loved this true story. I initially wondered if it was going to be a dry, chronological, fact narration. It was anything but.... Right from the beginning, it drew me in and I found it hard to put down till I was done. Great work done by the person reading!!! I cannot imagine a better performance.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dva
- 2018-02-21
perfect harmony
I love this book so much! People and science had a baby, and you wouldn't want to put this baby down.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Warren M Edgar
- 2020-08-07
Captivating story
A captivating story that has me hooked from the very beginning. A lesson in science along side the human story. Timely in today’s world as we seek to ensure we are understanding of all people.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ckmt1973
- 2022-03-01
Must read
Excellent story and I'm so glad Rebecca shed light on HeLa and what Henrietta's cells have done and continue to do for science.
2 criticisms - there was no need for the narrator to use fake accents for the Chinese and Austrian scientists - it was jarring and cringy and provided nothing positive to the content.
2nd, I want to know how much money, if any, Rebecca Skloot gave to the family from the proceeds of this book - without Deborah, it never would have happened and she/her family should have been compensated for their participation and work - this should have been answered in the interview with the author section.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2018-01-20
Wow! What a sad but amazing story!
I really wanted to love this book, and boy did I ever! It was really well written and brilliantly told. The author sure brings up some ethical issues that gets you thinking.
This was really interesting and in many ways, quite sad. I think this was a great story that everyone should have to read at least once!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sean Coghlan
- 2021-12-15
Love
I have read this book before on my kindle and new on Audible, I love these tragic, inspiring, sometimes jaw dropping, real stories.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roberta W
- 2024-04-14
Exceptional
An exceptional story. The science is fascinating. While Henrietta’s cells have saved many lives, they were taken from her unethically, without her consent. Her family was in the dark about her contribution to science and, until the time this book was researched, no one took the time to explain it. And they had no access to health care, and gained not a cent from this source of wealth for others. The story is both shocking and awe inspiring, tragic and miraculous, confusing and revealing. Highly recommended. Listen to the very end, as there is an author interview included.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Shelley Abercromby
- 2020-06-24
phenomenal book!
I loved this book. As a scientist and researcher, informed consent is essential and it is amazing to hear how science was advanced due to the acquisition of the hela cell line and how it has shaped research and opened the discussion on ownership of biological materials. very well read and interesting!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sally C
- 2018-10-22
Great book! 5 stars!
I found this book fascinating! It is well written and well narrated. It should be mandatory reading for all medical and cell science students for their ethics classes!
It’s easy to listen to and not predictable at all. It’s not a dry science book by any means. The story itself actually helps the science come alive! The author does a fine job at weaving all the parts of the story together in a coherent, chronological, and a logical way. She’s great at explaining the basics of cell science so that the average person reading the book can follow along. The narrator is pleasant to listen to and makes you feel like you’re there with it’s characters walking out the story.
I highly recommend this book!
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