The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

By: Rebecca Skloot

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Bahni Turpin

Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Number one New York Times best seller.

Now a major motion picture from HBO® starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne.

One of the “most influential” (CNN), “defining” (Lit Hub), and “best” (The Philadelphia Inquirer) books of the decade.

One of essence’s 50 most impactful Black books of the past 50 years.

Named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, O: The Oprah Magazine, NPR, Financial Times, New York, Independent (UK), Times (UK), Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Globe, and Mail.

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells - taken without her knowledge - became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than 60 years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than 20 years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family - past and present - is 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 are made of.

Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family - especially Henrietta’s daughter Deborah. Deborah was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Had they killed her to harvest her cells? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance? Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences.

©2010 Rebecca Skloot (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

Winner of The Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for nonfiction

"The story of modern medicine and bioethics - and, indeed, race relations - is refracted beautifully, and movingly.” (Entertainment Weekly)

"Writing with a novelist's artistry, a biologist's expertise, and the zeal of an investigative reporter, Skloot tells a truly astonishing story of racism and poverty, science and conscience, spirituality and family driven by a galvanizing inquiry into the sanctity of the body and the very nature of the life force." (

Booklist)

Amazing story

Fascinating story. Incredibly well-written with three different “themes” woven together. Excellent performance as well. Highly, highly recommend!

Faascinating!

This woman changed the world without her intention! she sacrificed her life for her children and then saved the lives of millions of people by just sharing the secrets of her cells! the storytelling is so capturing and the reader is so talented! great work, deserving of the history of Henrietta Lacks!

Never Realized This Could Happen

Having grown up in the north, I never realized the abuses people of color were routinely put through. Being a health care professional, I found this to be a fascinating tale of how some of our best health care solutions were discovered. And to have a connection between these two added further interest.

The fault of the book was that it tried to be both a novel as well as a history lesson. Either one would have been good enough but to try to combine the efforts did a disservice to both. It went on at times into details that were interesting but not what I cared about.

The narration was fine to the point that I can say nothing positive or negative about it.

Wonderfully told!

This was one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. Strongly recommend this book for anyone working with research, biology, or in health care. Great mix of scientific history, human rights and struggles, and thought provoking for future scientific advancement.

Compelling delivery of the humanity in science.

A story that needed to be told and heard by all. I was hospitalized recently and listening without headphones. it was amazing how it got the attention of the doctors and nurses that would come into my room and overhear this book!

I was also amazed on how her name came up during this race to develop the Covid-19 vaccination . Wow!!

An important book for the times we live in

A very emotional and compelling book with a narrative that by it's self makes it a must listen. But what's really important about this book is the light it shines on the problem of informed consent and privacy balanced against the greater good. With more of our genetic data out there and bits of us being tested for what we believe is a singular medical purpose, but may not, we must decide what safeguards we want on our data and biological material and what sacrifices we are willing to make to aid the greater good.

Excellent Narration

I love Cassandra's voice and abilities to capture the dialect, emotions and bring you directly into the story

Her Cells Live On

This book was a gift in a time when the world is very sad and negative. Learning about the life of Henrietta and her family outside of her impact on science. This is an excellent book that changed my view of the human subjects behind advancements in science. Thank you Henrietta, and all of your family.

a must read for everyone!

I would listen to any book Cassandra Campbell narrates. her voice is like satin and butter and the softest leather all combined.

The human story behind the scientific one

This book follows the lives of both Henrietta Lacks (and her cells, known as HeLa) and her daughter (and surviving family). This is also a story about the dawn of bioethics, people’s ownership of their DNA, and an exploration of the historically systemic racism inherent in the medical industry. It will make you angry in all the right ways. It’s also a fascinating scientific topic, though the human aspect of this story is what made this a five-star book for me.