This story is insane and I’m so glad to have learned about it. So many things I didn’t know and so much tragedy that poor family has gone through.

Thankfully in recent years after the book they were FINALLY financially compensated

The book doesn’t really give you a satisfying ending but I guess that’s real life ha.

The book is probably medium pace for a non fiction book, slow pace for book in general. I can see why the author chose to jump all around in time throughout the book but it kept you from getting as engaged and it was interesting that she was such a big character of it. She tries to tell the story of Henrietta’s past, her decedents, and all the medical advances and debates that her cells have resulted in. I’m sure this brought so much more visibility about this story and issue.

Regarding the moral debate this is the conclusion I’ve come to: donating cells and other items are invaluable to science and medical progress and needs to happen but people should know that it’s going on with their cells. Healthcare should not be a for profit industry in the first place but if people are making money off someone’s cells they should MOST DEFINITELY be getting a cut of it. To quote someone from the book “it’s pretty weird to say everybody gets money except people providing the raw materials”. If people are making money give the donors (or family) a percentage and free healthcare PLEASE, especially if they’re as important as hers were. 

Fuck Myriad Genetics