The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Product Description

Product Description

'A gripping read [that] has deservedly been a huge bestseller in the US. It should be here, too' SUNDAY TIMES

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. Born a poor, black tobacco farmer, her cancer cells – taken without her knowledge - became a multimillion-dollar industry and one of the most important tools in medicine. Yet Henrietta's family did not learn of her 'immortality' until more than twenty years after her death, with devastating consequences... Balancing the beauty and drama of scientific discovery with dark questions about who owns the stuff our bodies are made of, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an extraordinary detective story in search of the soul and story of a real woman, whose cells live on today in all four corners of the world.

'A heartbreaking account of racism and injustice... Moving and magnificent' METRO

'Rebecca Skloot explores the idealism and faith in science that helped to save thousands of lives but nearly destroyed a family. This is an extraordinary book, haunting and beautifully told' ERIC SCHLOSSER, AUTHOR OF FAST FOOD NATION

"Glorious... as gripping and rich as any work of fiction you will read this year' THE TIMES

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About the Author

Rebecca Skloot is an American author of science and medical nonfiction. She was born on September 19, 1972 in Springfield, Illinois to Floyd Skloot, a poet and essayist, and Betsy McCarthy, a professional knitter and author. Skloot graduated from the Metropolitan Learning Center in Portland, Oregon, and first attended college at Portland Community College. she attended Colorado State University, where she earned a BS in biological sciences. Skloot followed their advice and went on to receive a MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008.

Skloot has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Nonfiction, the National Academies of Science Best Book of the Year award, the American Association for the Advancement of Science Best Young Adult Book award, the Welcome Trust Book Prize, and two Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Nonfiction Book of the Year and Best Debut Author of the year. She currently lives in Chicago, where she is working on a new book about the human-animal bond.

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