Henrietta Lacks was a young African-American mother of four living a peaceful life in Clover, Virginia in the 1950s. She was diagnosed with a severe case of cervical cancer and she died on October 4, 1951. Before she died, a surgeon took samples of her tumor without her knowledge or consent for scientific study. Scientist George Gey was attempting to grow cells that had been removed from the human body, but all of the collected samples eventually died. Things changed when he received Henrietta's tumor cells; Unlike other cells, those taken from Henrietta's tumor reproduced outside of her body long after they were removed, creating an entire generation every twenty-four hours. Because Henrietta's cells, nicknamed "HeLa" cells, never stopped growing and multiplying, they became the first "immortal" human cells outside the living body. Even today, HeLa cells can be used for experimentation in scientific laboratories around the world and are part of research that has contributed to the development of drugs for the treatment of herpes, leukemia, influenza, Parkinson's disease and many other medical advances. They are one of the most important medical discoveries ever made and have helped millions of people. But at what cost? Award-winning science writer Rebecca Skloot tells Henrietta's story in her book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and investigates the impact it had on her family after her death. Skloot compares the difference between the medical view of HeLa cells and his family's view of Henrietta's body. George Gey stripped all humanity from Henrietta's tissues, but when her family found out years later, they believed her soul could not rest. Skloot argues that scientists had no right to take Henrietta's cells and reveals...... middle of paper...... were given to journalist Michael Gold, who published them without the consent of the family. The Lacks family was relieved to know the truth about HeLa cells. Skloot also told them how important HeLa cells had become in saving lives, which gave the family a sense of pride. Skloot didn't just write a book, she healed a family's troubles. To scientists such as George Gey, HeLa cells were just genetic material, and Henrietta was just a statistic. Journalists like Michael Gold were not interested in Henrietta, only in her cells. Skloot stood out from others by caring about people, and that's what made the Lacks family trust him. Skloot wrote a book about Henrietta, her family and how people manipulated them. She lifted the weight of the HeLa cells off the shoulders of the Lacks family and showed the world that there truly was a soul behind the cell..