The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer, yet her cells--taken without her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she h...
| Main Author: | Skloot, Rebecca, 1972- |
|---|---|
| Format: | Books Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York :
Broadway,
c2011.
|
| Edition: | 1st pbk. ed. |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: |
Go to Downloadable eBook Here. |
| Summary: |
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer, yet her cells--taken without her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, they 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 and viruses; helped lead to in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks is buried in an unmarked grave. Her family did not learn of her "immortality" until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. The story of the Lacks family 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--From publisher description. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: |
Includes reader's guide: p. 379-381. |
| Physical Description: |
xiv, 381 p., [8] p. of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 21 cm. |
| Bibliography: |
Includes bibliographical references (p. [346]-366) and index. |
| ISBN: |
9781400052189 (pbk.) 1400052181 (pbk.) |
| Author Notes: |
REBECCA SKLOOT nbsp;is an award-winning science writer whose work has appeared innbsp; The New York Times Magazine; O, The Oprah Magazine; Discover; nbsp;and many others. She is coeditor ofnbsp; The Best American Science Writing 2011nbsp; and has worked as a correspondent for NPR'snbsp; Radiolabnbsp; and PBS's Novanbsp; ScienceNOW . She was namednbsp;one of five surprising leaders of 2010 by the nbsp;Washington Post . Skloot's debut book,nbsp; The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, took more than a decade tonbsp;research and write, and instantly became anbsp; New York Timesnbsp; bestseller. It was chosen as a best book of 2010 by more than sixty media outlets, includingnbsp; Entertainment Weekly , nbsp;People , and the New York Times .nbsp;Itnbsp;is being translated into more than twenty-five languages, adapted into a young reader edition, and being made into an HBO film produced by Oprah Winfrey and Alan Ball.nbsp;Skloot is the founder and president of The Henrietta Lacks Foundation. She has a B.S. in biological sciences and annbsp;MFAnbsp;in creative nonfiction. She has taught creative writing and science journalism at the University of Memphis, the University of Pittsburgh, and New York University. She lives in Chicago.nbsp;For more information, visit her website at RebeccaSkloot.com, where you'll find links to follow her on Twitter and Facebook.nbsp; |