First off I believe Henrietta Lacks' story is extremely important for people to read about. It brings up issues about morality, doctor patient consent, race, poverty, and the issue surrounding the lack of compensation Henrietta's family received. The public needs to know that many important medical discoveries and medications stem from cells that were basically stolen from this woman's body. Although Henrietta has passed on, her contributions to the whole of human life should not be ignored, and in a way it has. For instance her family live in poverty even though her cells have produced millions, while the doctors who have used her cells in research live in wealth. Issues like this need to be brought to the attention of the public or nothing will ever change.
Because the author, Rebecca Skloot, wrote The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks for all audiences I'm sure she faced numerous challenges. She had to provide correct factual information as well as touch the average person with emotion, and interest in her writing. I know I would have a problem reading this book if it were written in medical journal format, and I think I speak for most of the public on that point. I also believe Skloot had challenges in deciding what to put in the book, and what to leave out. After ten years of research I am positive she had an overwhelming amount of data.
Finally as a reader I anticipate having challenges regarding the anger I will probably feel while reading the book. The lack of education Henrietta's family had about the situation still confuses me. I also feel as though I will not fully comprehend the extent of how much her cells have done for the scientific community. I know they have helped with things like the pollio vaccine, and the effects of the atomic bomb, but will the book explain the process of these discoveries?
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