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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Rebecca Skloot

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot


$21.49
Condition - Very Good
5 in stock

Summary

The internationally bestselling story of a young woman whose death in 1951 changed medical science for ever . . .

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Summary

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

'One of the most graceful and moving non-fiction books I've read in a very long time' Dwight Garner, New York Times

`Skloot's book is wonderful - deeply felt, gracefully written, sharply reported. It is a story about science but, much more, about life.' Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer whose cancer cells - taken without her knowledge - became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first `immortal' human tissue grown in culture, HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the effects of the atom bomb; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.

Yet Henrietta herself remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey in search of Henrietta's story, from the `coloured' ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live, and struggle with the legacy of her cells.

Full of warmth and questing intelligence, 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.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Reviews

"'One of the most graceful and moving non-fiction books I've read in a very long time' Dwight Garner, New York Times 'Skloot's book is wonderful - deeply felt, gracefully written, sharply reported. It is a story about science but, much more, about life.' Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief"

About Rebecca Skloot

REBECCA SKLOOT is an award-winning science writer whose articles have appeared in the New York Times Magazine and O, the Oprah Magazine, among others. She has worked as a correspondent for NPR's RadioLab and PBS's Nova ScienceNOW, and blogs about science, life, and writing at Culture Dish, hosted by Seed magazine. She also teaches creative nonfiction at the University of Memphis. Visit her website at rebeccaskloot.com.

Additional information

GOR002223058
9780230750210
0230750214
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Pan Macmillan
2010-04-16
384
Winner of The Wellcome Trust Book Prize 2010 (UK)
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks