After reading the synopsis of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks I feel it is incredibly important that stories like Henrietta’s be told to the public. Cells were taken from her body without her knowledge and used for medical research. Our population usually likes to believe that we know what is being performed on us and taken from our bodies in medical procedures but that is very wrong. Many doctors have been taking biological samples from many people and using it for medical research. The doctors have great intentions in mind, but our bodies are one of the very few things in this world that we truly own. Shouldn’t we have the right to know where our biological samples are going? The public should be aware of what is happening at hospitals so the “no consent” process can successfully be challenged.
Writing a book about such a debatable topic for a broad audience must come with challenges. Skloot must decide if she finds it acceptable to take biological samples with no consent or she must decide to keep her book unbiased. Many people do not know the medical lingo so it is important that she be able to easily explain terms in the book. Some people may feel overwhelmed if statistics or “big words” overtake the page while some may feel uninterested if the book is too easy of a read with not enough data. As a reader I am anxious to read a true story that will challenge me. The biggest challenge of this book will be ultimately deciding whether I truly believe it is acceptable to take biological samples without consent. It will be difficult to understand medical terminology if it is not explained thoroughly. I am very excited to take on these challenges and learn Henrietta’s story.
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