Rebecca Skloot Books

A middle-grade adaptation of Rebecca Skloot's critically acclaimed, New York Times nonfiction bestseller Henrietta Lacks was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, and whose cells--taken without her knowledge when she was treated for cancer in 1951--have become one of the most important tools in medicine. The Lacks family did not learn of Henrietta's cells until 20 years after her death, but these first "immortal" human cells grown in culture are still alive today: they've been bought and sold by the billions and have been vital in fighting polio, cancer, and many viruses. This incredible book explores race, bioethics, scientific research, human rights, the power of family, and the question of whether we control the very cells we're made of.

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells--taken without her knowledge in 1951--became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more. Henrietta's cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yes she remains virtually unknown, and her family can't afford health insurance. This phenomenal New York Times bestseller 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. (back cover)

Volala sa Henrietta Lacksová, no vedci ju poznajú ako HeLa. Bola to chudobná černošská pestovateľka tabaku. V roku 1951 jej bez jej vedomia odobrali bunky, ktoré sa stali jedným z najdôležitejších nástrojov v medicíne. Mali nezastupiteľnú úlohu vo vývoji vakcíny proti poliomyelitíde, v klonovaní, mapovaní génov a ďalších vedeckých výskumoch. Henriettine bunky sa predávajú a kupujú po miliardách, ona však zostáva takmer neznáma a jej rodina nemá na zdravotné poistenie. Bestseller Nesmrteľná Henrietta Lacksová rozpráva strhujúci príbeh o konflikte etiky, medicíny a rasových rozdielov, o vedeckých objavoch a liečení vierou. Zároveň je to dojímavé rozprávanie o chudobnej rodine a jej vyrovnávaní sa s novou skutočnosťou, najmä o dcére Deborah, ktorá vyrástla bez matky. V závere knihy hovorí: „Neviem, ako odídem, ale dúfam, že pokojne. Jedno vám poviem: Ak nesmrteľnosť znamená večný život, netúžim po nej. Všetci ostatní by predo mnou starli a zomierali, iba ja by som bola stále rovnaká. Bolo by to smutné. Ale možno sa vrátim v podobne buniek HeLa, ako to spravila matka. Potom by sme mohli na svete spoločne konať dobro.“