3: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (Science) In 1951, doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital took tissue samples from Henrietta Lacks, a black mother of five ailing from cancer. When the tissue’s cells prove to be extraordinary, reproducing without dying out, the next sixty years would prove to be both a whirlwind of discovery for the medical community and a protracted trial by suffering for the family Lacks left behind. As you can expect, it’s a complicated story, and the book that covers it is equally as complicated. It’s Skloot’s first book but something she’s been writing for over a decade, managing to incorporate both human stories and hard science. It’s not like John Vaillant’s brisker Golden Spruce, as Skloot is more methodical; as both she and Lacks’ daughter Deborah learn the ins and outs of the situation, then we learn as they go. And since Skloot uses no pretense of detachment from the family she’s researching (and that all but adopt her), Deborah’s voyage beside Skloot marks the spot where the book shifts into its best gear. It’s a worthy book, but one that suffers greatly from its good intentions. Skloot certainly wrings great emotional content from the Lacks family, but leaves the book somewhat open-ended about whether or not the discovery of the miracle cells was a boon or a curse, meekly insisting it did great for science but contains several grey spots. Skloot’s insistence on conveying the broken English of her subjects should invite some controversy as well, from the Ebonics of most of the Lacks family to the accomplished Chinese-American geneticist; the intent here is honesty but the results can often be cringe-worthy. I hope Skloot follows this up with another book in the future, because she’s got a great perspective for the human dimension of scientific issues and the book certainly doesn’t shy from raising ethical questions of the reader. Perfecting a voice for this type of narrative reporting is hardly easy, and a more seasoned Skloot will most certainly avoid the dodgier choices and fine-tune the delivery. Otherwise, it’s a perfectly acceptable read.
Posted on: Sun, 18 Jan 2015 23:36:42 +0000
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