One Campus One Book

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

This year's selection is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. Coordinator is Diane Scrofano, dscrofano@vcccd.edu

 

“This distinctive work skillfully puts a human face on the bioethical questions surrounding the HeLa cell line. Henrietta Lacks, an African American mother of five, was undergoing treatment for cancer at Johns Hopkins University in 1951 when tissue samples were removed without her knowledge or permission and used to create HeLa, the first "immortal" cell line. HeLa has been sold around the world and used in countless medical research applications, including the development of the polio vaccine. Science writer Skloot, who worked on this book for ten years, entwines Lacks's biography, the development of the HeLa cell line, and her own story of building a relationship with Lacks's children.” Library Journal, Dec. 15, 2009.

Please click here forThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks  Resource Guide.