The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

This is the amazing true story by Rebecca Skloot, is the account of a woman named Henrietta Lacks whose cells from a biopsy were successfully grown outside her body for testing purposes.  Her cells, named HeLa by the fledgling cellular science community, were the first cells to be successfully grown outside the human body in scientific history; and more amazingly, are still reproducing today – still contributing to our collective knowledge of a broad range of diseases and treatments, including cancer, polio and the vaccines and medicines that prevent or treat those diseases. 

The personal life of Ms. Lacks and her family how tragically unfolds as her family discovered her cells were still alive and being used without their knowledge or permission; and how this news came to shape and, in some cases undo their lives.  A. Adams