This book was recommended to me by a wide variety of women of all ages and interests. Why O why? The survival of the cells is an accident of biology, and obviously the quality of the cells does not equate to the quality of the life of the donor. I was appalled by the abuses in other experiments (some of which used HeLa cells), but I couldn't get exercised about the activities of the doctors and researchers who encountered Henrietta and cultured her cells. Certainly her daughter who died in the institution had a sad life, but it was the sins of the parents that doomed her initially. Syphilis kills and maims, and ironically, the HPV seems to be what made HeLa indestructible. The patient had many chances to be treated for the venereal diseases that were repeatedly diagnosed but she failed to appear for follow-up care. The ignorance and immorality of the family was both offensive and disturbing, although their stories did give me some insight into why so many of the kids in my school district (in California) are illiterate criminals despite the efforts of their teachers to offer education and opportunity. I didn't want to spend my reading time with the writer or with her sources.
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