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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

By: Rebecca Skloot
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin, Cassandra Campbell
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Publisher's summary

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NOW ADAPTED INTO A HBO FILM STARRING OPRAH WINFREY & ROSE BYRNE

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. Born a poor black tobacco farmer, her cancer cells - taken without her knowledge - became a multimillion-dollar industry and one of the most important tools in medicine. Yet Henrietta's family did not learn of her 'immortality' until more than twenty years after her death, with devastating consequences . . .

Rebecca Skloot's fascinating account is the story of the life, and afterlife, of one woman who changed the medical world forever. Balancing the beauty and drama of scientific discovery with dark questions about who owns the stuff our bodies are made of, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an extraordinary journey in search of the soul and story of a real woman, whose cells live on today in all four corners of the world.

©2019 Rebecca Skloot (P)2019 Macmillan Australia Audio
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Critic reviews

"No dead woman has done more for the living...A fascinating, harrowing, necessary book." (Hilary Mantel, The Guardian)

"One of the most graceful and moving non-fiction books I've read in a very long time." (Dwight Garner, New York Times)

"An extraordinary mix of memoir and science reveals the story of how one woman's cells have saved countless lives." (Daily Telegraph)

What listeners say about The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

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Stunning real story behind HeLa.

This book is stunning in its complexity yet it is written in a way that encourages you to keep reading. I have the Audio book and listened over one weekend, stopping only to sleep. I will listen more slowly next time through.

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