The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot · first published 2009 · ISBN 9780606269544
Henrietta Lacks was a poor Black woman whose cancer cells were taken without her knowledge in 1951 and became one of medicine's most valuable resources, driving breakthroughs in vaccines, cloning, and genetic research. Her family never benefited and often didn't even know what happened to her cells. Skloot reconstructs Henrietta's life and explores the intersection of race, poverty, medical ethics, and exploitation in American medicine.
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Premeds need to understand that medicine's relationship with vulnerable populations has been fraught with harm. This isn't ancient history; the ethical blindness Skloot documents shaped modern medicine's flaws. Reading this prepares you to be the kind of doctor who recognizes injustice when you see it.