Location: Haverford Township Library
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
This New York Times bestseller takes readers on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers filled with HeLa cells, from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia, to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew. It’s a story 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’re made of.
This public book club is open to anyone who has a love of books and a love of humanity! Come to share, learn, and discuss with a group of people who are committed to working together to create a more racially just society. Invite a friend and feel free to share with other groups who may be interested in attending!