The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Research Guide  

Use this guide to help you with coursework related to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. You will find links to tutorials, sources, and databases that will address the research required to find more information about the major themes discussed in the book.

For more information about UT Arlington's OneBook program, please visit University College's OneBook page.

Welcome

     Each year, first-year UT Arlington students participate in the OneBook program, reading a common text and attending related university activities. The OneBook program creates a sense of community among students, faculty, and staff by providing a common text and issues to discuss throughout the academic year. This year’s OneBook is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a New York Times bestseller written by Rebecca Skloot.

     In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Skloot traces the life of Henrietta Lacks—unwitting donor of the famous HeLa cells—and the lives of her family members side by side with relevant medical, scientific, and legal developments of the past 60 years. Skloot’s gripping narrative addresses the thorny ethical issues that arise at the intersections of race, social class, education, science, medicine, and money.

     Each year, the OneBook program includes an accompanying theme that ties together campus activities related to the OneBook. This year’s theme is “Ethics,” which is appropriate given the issues Skloot addresses, such as patients’ right to privacy and the role of informed consent in medical research.

     Before you read, take a few moments to preview the book by carefully looking at the cover, table of contents, photographs, and various sections. What does this material tell you about the book? The author? The intended audience?

     As you make your way through the book, be sure to read actively. Review the assigned questions so you can think about your response as you read. Keep a pen or pencil in hand and mark up the text by underlining key passages, asking questions, and making notes in the margins. Throughout the book, Skloot switches back and forth between the lives of Henrietta Lacks and her descendents and the scientific and medical breakthroughs that result from research with HeLa cells. The timeline at the beginning of each chapter will help you orient yourself within the narrative. Write a brief chapter summary on the first page of each chapter so you’re certain you understand where you are in the narrative and what’s happening in that section of the book.

     As you read, think about Skloot’s audience and purpose for writing. Why does she choose to tell the story of Henrietta Lacks and the HeLa cells? Why does she frame the story the way she does? Why does she include herself in the narrative? Does Skloot “take sides” in the book? Or is the book “unbiased”? What, to you, are the most important issues that Skloot raises?

     Questions like these will be the starting point for fulfilling conversations with friends, classmates, and instructors about The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and the ethical issues that Skloot addresses.