Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

This is an extraordinary interweaving story of the life and humanity of Henrietta Lacks, the lives of her children and extended family, the impact of her cells on science and health, and the investigation by the author in trying to learn all these things. Despite all those many aspects to navigate, Skloot has managed to write in such a way that the reader can follow all the threads. She honors the Lacks family's stories while being honest about the challenges they've faced. She explains the science in an understandable way. And she surfaces the complex ethical questions about the impact of race in this story and ultimately who should own HeLa cells without providing pat answers.