Women in STEM Bookclub: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

This book club is for women in STEM to explore workplace related themes that are centered on women, STEM issues and leadership. Through these book explorations, we share experiences, exchange new ideas, and empower each other through friendly conversation and community.

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Title - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
By: Rebecca Skloot

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.

Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family—past and present—is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.

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Whether you love or hate the book, read one chapter, or happened across this description and found yourself interested, come join us for coffee and conversation!
Feel free to reach out for any questions or book suggestions as well.

Sincerely,
Jenny & Daniela