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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
- Used
- Paperback
- Condition
- Very Good-
- ISBN 10
- 1400052181
- ISBN 13
- 9781400052189
- Seller
-
CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Trade paperback in about Very Good condition with slight spine lean, bumped corner on front cover. Interior is clean and unmarked. Illustrated with black and white photographs. Biography of Henritta Lacks, also known as HeLa, an impoverished black tabacco farmer whose cells were taken for cancer research without her permission when she was treated for cancer at Johns Hopkins. 377 pages, indexed.From a nonsmoking home.Ships with Tracking Number
Synopsis
Rebecca Skloot is an award-winning science writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine; O, The Oprah Magazine; Discover; and many others. She is coeditor of The Best American Science Writing 2011 and has worked as a correspondent for NPR’s Radiolab and PBS’s Nova ScienceNOW . She was named one of five surprising leaders of 2010 by the Washington Post . Skloot's debut book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, took more than a decade to research and write, and instantly became a New York Times bestseller. It was chosen as a best book of 2010 by more than sixty media outlets, including Entertainment Weekly , People, and the New York Times . It 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. Skloot is the founder and president of The Henrietta Lacks Foundation. She has a B.S. in biological sciences and an MFA 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. For more information, visit her website at RebeccaSkloot.com, where you’ll find links to follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Reviews
On Mar 10 2011, AbbeyRheinhartt said:
This is a historically significant book that captures three important points: (1) the lack of ethics in medical research, particularly informed consent; (2) how this lack of medical consent affected a simple African-American family of relatively no sophistication; and (3)that the family of Henrietta Lacks cannot afford health insurance, notwithstanding the enormity of her contribution to science.During 1951, Henrietta Lacks went to Johns Hopkins with a "knot" in her cervix. The biopsy revealed cancer. Tissue was removed and cultured. The cancer was unique in that it continued to grow in a laboratory setting, and were named HeLa cells for their source, Henrietta Lacks. These particular cells were unique in that they do not observe the Hayflick limit, which is the usual lifetime of cancerous cells.These cells were used in the testing by Jonas Salk for his polio vaccine, and are used so regularly in the scientific community that it is estimated 300 scientific papers a month are written on the basis of research performed with HeLa cells. Neither Lacks nor her family gave the physician permission to harvest the cells. When the family, who was relatively unsophisticated, learned that "she was being kept alive," they were extremely concerned, and engaged counsel. They did not understand that it was her tumor only.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Rock River Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 172
- Title
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
- Author
- Rebecca Skloot
- Format/Binding
- Trade paperback
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good-
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10
- 1400052181
- ISBN 13
- 9781400052189
- Publisher
- Crown Publishing Group
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2011-03-08
- Keywords
- African American women-- history, health, cancer patient, cancer research, human experimentation in medicine, United States-- history, HeLa cells, cancer research, medical ethics
- Bookseller catalogs
- Nonfiction; African American;
Terms of Sale
Rock River Books
All books are shipped with a TRACKING NUMBER. Standard shipping via USPS Media Mail is Free within the USA. Expedited shipping is via USPS Priority or Express Mail. Additional shipping and handling charges apply to international, priority and express shipping. 30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives in damaged condition.
About the Seller
Rock River Books
Biblio member since 2019
CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina
About Rock River Books
Specializing in items of interest for discerning readers. Curated catalogs include nonfiction, theology, fiction, children's, antiquarian and collectable items. Books are described individually, no boilerplate descriptions, shipped promptly. We strive to provide quality items and excellent customer service. All books are packed with care in appropriate protective materials. Cardboard is used for hardcover books.
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