“This was an amazing work of nonfiction, chronicling the life of the family of Henrietta, a poor black woman whose cancerous tissue cells were removed in the 1950's and whose cells were used for research, formulations of new drugs, mapping the human genome, and isolating the genes for certain diseases. I cannot stop thinking about the characters and their susceptibility to exploitation. Their mother's cells gave rise to incredible wealth for organizations and drug companies, yet the family often had no health care insurance. The lack of education is the theme of this book. All high school students should be required to read and discuss this book in terms of the value of education and the medical ethics of taking and using tissue. I will be reflecting on this book for a long time.”
Sue M wrote this review Monday, February 6, 2012.
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