The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

I had been excited about reading this book for a while  While it sat unread in my bookcase I caught a Law and Order episode based on the same idea. 

Henrietta Lacks is a black woman who lived in Maryland in the 1940's and '50s.  She had a very aggressive form of cervical cancer and after her death her cells were harvested without her family's knowledge.  Those cells have been a cornerstone of scientific research for the past several decades, while Lacks' family members have had marginal and oftentimes troubled lives.

Skloot's book reads like a novel in some places, a memoir in others, and an interesting article for the balance.  Never is it a dry scientific text, although it does cover the science behind cells and gene therapy.  I don't think you have to be technical to enjoy the book.  Other sections focus on Henrietta's childhood and illness.  Most memorable to me was the latter part of the book where Skloot forms a close relationship with Henrietta's daughter Deborah, now in her 60's, and the two of them work together to find more additional information about Henrietta. 

This was a good read, although more personal than I expected.  Skloot's a great writer.