The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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First edition
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| Author | Rebecca Skloot |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Crown |
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Publication date
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February 2, 2010 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 381 |
| ISBN | |
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2010) is a nonfiction book by American author Rebecca Skloot. It was the 2011 winner of the National Academies Communication Award for best creative work that helps the public understanding of topics in science, engineering or medicine.
The book is about Henrietta Lacks and the immortal cell line, known as HeLa, that came from Lacks's cervical cancer cells in 1951. The book is notable for its science writing and dealing with ethical issues of race and class in medical research. Skloot said that some of the information was taken from the journal of Deborah Lacks, Henrietta Lacks's daughter, as well as from "archival photos and documents, scientific and historical research." It is Skloot's first book.
Critical reception was largely favorable. It was named a best book of the year by more than 60 media outlets, including New York Times, Oprah, NPR, and Entertainment Weekly.Lisa Margonelli reviewing in The New York Times Book Review said:
Skloot narrates the science lucidly, tracks the racial politics of medicine thoughtfully and tells the Lacks family’s often painful history with grace. She also confronts the spookiness of the cells themselves, intrepidly crossing into the spiritual plane on which the family has come to understand their mother’s continued presence in the world. Science writing is often just about “the facts.” Skloot’s book, her first, is far deeper, braver and more wonderful.
Dwight Garner of The New York Times wrote:
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