chapter set 1
, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Prologue
The Woman in the Photograph
Skloot begins by describing a photograph of Henrietta Lacks, the same picture shown
on the cover of the book. She introduces Henrietta as the woman whose cancer cells
were taken without her knowledge and eventually became known as HeLa cells, the first
human cells that could continue living and reproducing outside the body.
She explains how important HeLa cells became to science. Billions and trillions of these
cells have been grown in laboratories around the world and have been used in many
different areas of medical and scientific research.
Skloot first heard about Henrietta in a biology class at community college. Her teacher
could explain the importance of HeLa cells but knew very little about Henrietta herself.
This made Skloot curious, so she began researching Henrietta's life while she was in
college. She soon discovered that Henrietta's family knew very little about what had
happened to her cells or how they were being used.
Skloot became determined to tell Henrietta's story and the story of her family. Her
research eventually turned into a ten-year journey as she worked to gain the family's
trust and uncover information that had been hidden or forgotten for years. During this
process, she became especially close to Henrietta's daughter, Deborah, who wanted
people to understand and remember her mother properly.
Because Skloot and Deborah came from very different backgrounds and had different
beliefs, their relationship caused Skloot to question some of her own assumptions. In
the end, Skloot's book is not only about the scientific importance of HeLa cells. It is also
about Henrietta's family, their experiences, and Skloot's personal journey with Deborah
while trying to tell Henrietta's story.
Chapter 1
Part 1, titled “Life,” begins in Baltimore, Maryland, where a young Black woman named
Henrietta Lacks goes to Johns Hopkins Hospital to have a painful lump on her cervix
examined.
, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Prologue
The Woman in the Photograph
Skloot begins by describing a photograph of Henrietta Lacks, the same picture shown
on the cover of the book. She introduces Henrietta as the woman whose cancer cells
were taken without her knowledge and eventually became known as HeLa cells, the first
human cells that could continue living and reproducing outside the body.
She explains how important HeLa cells became to science. Billions and trillions of these
cells have been grown in laboratories around the world and have been used in many
different areas of medical and scientific research.
Skloot first heard about Henrietta in a biology class at community college. Her teacher
could explain the importance of HeLa cells but knew very little about Henrietta herself.
This made Skloot curious, so she began researching Henrietta's life while she was in
college. She soon discovered that Henrietta's family knew very little about what had
happened to her cells or how they were being used.
Skloot became determined to tell Henrietta's story and the story of her family. Her
research eventually turned into a ten-year journey as she worked to gain the family's
trust and uncover information that had been hidden or forgotten for years. During this
process, she became especially close to Henrietta's daughter, Deborah, who wanted
people to understand and remember her mother properly.
Because Skloot and Deborah came from very different backgrounds and had different
beliefs, their relationship caused Skloot to question some of her own assumptions. In
the end, Skloot's book is not only about the scientific importance of HeLa cells. It is also
about Henrietta's family, their experiences, and Skloot's personal journey with Deborah
while trying to tell Henrietta's story.
Chapter 1
Part 1, titled “Life,” begins in Baltimore, Maryland, where a young Black woman named
Henrietta Lacks goes to Johns Hopkins Hospital to have a painful lump on her cervix
examined.
