TILOHL

      I think it is very important for a story like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks to be heard by the public.  I think it is important because what doctors did to Henrietta Lacks and her cells was not a professional approach.  Taking someone’s biological sample without their consent is not right.  The public should be aware of the awful situation the Lacks family had to go through because it is possible for families to go through the same thing in the present time.

      I think the author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot, faced many challenges while writing this book because it is written for all readers.  The reason I think she faced many challenges was because before this book the situation of Henrietta Lacks was not well known.  When she wrote the book and described what happened, I think it opened the public’s eyes to what really happened.  Another challenge I think she faced was writing it so the public was able to understand what happened and put it in simple terms.  She needed to realize she was not writing to very well-educated doctors, but instead to the normal population in the world. 

      There are a few challenges that I anticipate while reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  One of the challenges is hearing Skloot’s side of the story.  I feel like it will be hard to hear the truth about what really happened and what the doctors did to Lacks.  I also don’t know if I will be able to understand how something like taking a biological sample of someone without their consent is possible and doctors being able to get away with it.  Today there are so many papers to sign and patient’s rights and confidentiality that I couldn’t imagine something like that happening.  I do look forward to reading the book and think I will overcome the challenges.