HeLa Cells (Courtesy of Google)                              (Courtesy of Google)

I just got done reading an intriguing book called The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.  Rebecca talks about a African American woman by the name of Henrietta who is dying of cervical cancer.

When Henrietta dies, her cancerous cells are removed without her permission.  She is treated, but she dies an agonizing death from the cancer treatment. Her cancer cells were found to grow exponentially; they would not die.

Henrietta’s cells were famously known as the HeLa cells; the name is formed by taking the first two letters of her first and last name. The cells would pave the way for many miracles in science, but Henrietta would never get a chance to witness this.

Henrietta’s family did not get a cent from the explotation of Henrietta’s cells, but they were at least happy that her cells were doing miraculous things for many people.

Rebecca Skloot does an excellent job in giving vivid detail of Henrietta and her family’s torment over the years, it was as if you were actually seeing the horrifying details and injustices.

I would rate this book a 10/10 because it incorporates sadness, despair, anxiety, and hope all rolled into one!Read this exciting book today!