I wanted to love this book and parts of it I really did. Perhaps because Rebecca Skloot is a science journalist, it was really the description of the science behind the HeLa (Henrietta Lacks) cells that grabbed me. It was interesting to learn how HeLa has been used in AIDS and cancer research, as well as how they have helped to advance the field of genetics. The story of Henrietta herself was actually also well done. It was when Skloot started to write about Henrietta's children that I struggled a bit more. There was little to no science here and it read almost like an average fiction book in these parts. That said, I think this book tells an important story and is worth picking up. It's a very accessible book that teaches readers a great deal about bioethics.
4 out of 5 Stars.
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