The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot

This is the story of an African American woman in the early 1950's, whose cancerous cells were taken from her without her permission, shortly before her death. The cells multiplied, and were used by scientists for research in a number of different areas-but her family never received any notice, or remuneration; in fact her descendants couldn't get health coverage of their own. The author becomes involved with the family, as she tells the story of the 'colored ward' at Johns Hopkins, and details life for black Americans in the 50's. The review I read says it is the story of

"the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, and its human consequences." The book is factual, and scientific, but also very hard to put down, as it tells the story of the descendants of Henrietta Lacks.