Book Club Guide

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

by Rebecca Skloot · 2010 · Popular Science

Key themes

Whose body is it — and who profits?
Medical ethics, race and the history of exploitation in American medicine
The family that didn't know — and what they lost

About this book

The woman whose cells transformed medicine without her consent; science, ethics and a family's story.

Published in 2010, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was a New York Times bestseller for over six years. Skloot spent a decade on the project, much of it building trust with Deborah Lacks. It is now widely taught in bioethics, science writing and American studies courses.

Discussion questions

Henrietta Lacks's cells were taken without her knowledge and became one of the most commercially valuable biological materials ever used in medicine. What is Skloot saying about consent, ownership and the law?
The Lacks family lived in poverty while HeLa cells generated billions in revenue. What legal and ethical frameworks existed — or failed to exist — to address this?
Skloot herself becomes part of the story, forming a relationship with Deborah Lacks. What does her presence add — and what ethical questions does it raise about a white journalist writing about a Black family's pain?
The book is both biography, science writing and investigative journalism. How does Skloot manage these different modes — and which do you find most effective?
HeLa cells saved millions of lives. Does this outcome affect your moral assessment of what was done — and how does Skloot handle this complexity?