E201
Mr. Daniel
13/4/14
Book Review
Trust

Henrietta Lacks, an African American female with cervical cancer is entered into a hospital. The
doctor asked for a sample of her cells but the family refused. Little did the family know that the cells were
taken anyway, and their cells sprouted a medical revolution. The family learns about the trickery twenty
years later and is absolutely shocked.

After analyzing the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, you learn the importance of
integrity and empathy. The importance of integrity comes into play when the doctors do not respect the
choice of Henrietta to not allow the use of her cells. You find empathy in Henrietta’s family because
even though Henrietta’s cells have turned into a multimillion-dollar industry, they still did not get a
penny.

“But I tell you one thing, I don't want to be immortal if it mean living forever, cause then
everybody else just die and get old in front of you while you stay the same, and that's just sad.” I chose
this quote because it really demonstrates the importance of respecting peoples values. Henrietta never
wanted to live forever, and it makes you think how much she cared about other people.
What I like about this book is that it has a scientific side to it. I also like that the family portion of
the book is interesting because it plays the role of being the subtext of the scientific aspect. I
never imagined how much a permission slip could affect a family or even the world. What I do
not like about the book is that it doesn’t truly expand on how and what the cells were used for very much.
I would recommend this book to everyone because at any age this book has the potential to affect
you. As a teenager it could give you the inspiration to pursue a medical career or learn to care for people
more. As an adult it could help you make difficult decisions.