Good Reads

For my birthday, Jon gave me The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. This book has been patiently sitting on my Amazon wishlist for the better part of two years. The fact that Jon gave it to me without me even having to ask for it is proof of how much of a nerd I am and how well he knows me. :) If you've taken a gen bio class, chances are you've heard of the infamous HeLa cells. While these cells are known in science laboratories throughout the world, and have aided in the discovery of some groundbreaking science, little was known about the woman these cells came from, Henrietta Lacks. Rebecca Skloot decided to write a book shedding light not only on Henrietta Lacks, but her entire family.

Skloot is a science writer, and had no trouble bringing Henrietta's story to life. Though it is non-fiction, it reads like a novel and I definitely had a hard time putting it down. Even if you are unfamiliar with biology, I would still absolutely recommend this book! Skloot explains the basic biology necessary to understand the story in simplistic and easy to understand voice. For those of us pursuing a career in medicine, Henrietta Lacks' story is a good cautionary tale reminding us to always remember that patients are people not just "cases."