WHAT A BOOK!! I don't know how I had never heard of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. There are so many ways to describe it: scientific history of cell culture and cancer research, family drama with several colourful characters, social history of how black people were treated by the healthcare system in the U.S. in the 40s and 50s, psychological study of how abuse of children has so many lasting and devastating effects, ethical and moral dilemma about who 'owns' human tissue samples and memoir of how the author learnt about the life of Henrietta and had to earn the trust of her family. Whatever, it was brilliant.