Book
The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks / Rebecca Skloot.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781400052189 (tradepaperback)
- Physical Description: xiv, 381 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some colour) ; 21 cm
- Edition: First Paperback edition.
- Publisher: New York : Broadway Books, [2011]
- Copyright: ©2010
Content descriptions
| General Note: | "Originally published in hardcover in slightly different form in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., in 2010"--Title page verso. |
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Search for related items by subject
| Genre: | Biographies. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookstown Branch | 616.02774092 Lacks-S | 31681010262475 | NONFICPBK | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
Documents the story of how scientists took cells from an unsuspecting descendant of freed slaves and created a human cell line that has been kept alive indefinitely, enabling numerous medical and scientific discoveries. - Baker & Taylor
Documents the story of how scientists took cells from an unsuspecting descendant of freed slaves and created a human cell line that has been kept alive indefinitely, enabling discoveries in such areas as cancer research, in vitro fertilization and gene mapping. Includes reading-group guide. Reprint. A best-selling book. - Random House, Inc.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ⢠âThe story of modern medicine and bioethicsâand, indeed, race relationsâis refracted beautifully, and movingly.ââEntertainment Weekly
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM HBO® STARRING OPRAH WINFREY AND ROSE BYRNE ⢠ONE OF THE âMOST INFLUENTIALâ (CNN), âDEFININGâ (LITHUB), AND âBESTâ (THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER) BOOKS OF THE DECADE ⢠ONE OF ESSENCEâS 50 MOST IMPACTFUL BLACK BOOKS OF THE PAST 50 YEARS ⢠WINNER OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE HEARTLAND PRIZE FOR NONFICTION ⢠A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE CENTURY
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, O: The Oprah Magazine, NPR, Financial Times, New York, Independent (U.K.), Times (U.K.), 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 cellsâtaken without her knowledgeâbecame one of the most important tools in medicine: The first âimmortalâ human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bombâs 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.
Henriettaâs family did not learn of her âimmortalityâ until more than twenty 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 familyâpast and presentâis 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 familyâespecially Henriettaâs 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 couldnât 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.
