#38 in Biography & memoir
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
- 381
- Pages
- about 7 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 87 weeks on the list, peaked at #3
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Our view
Rebecca Skloot tells two stories at once: the science made possible by Henrietta Lacks’s cells and the family that lived with the consequences. The science is explained clearly enough for non-specialists, and the book grows stronger in its final third, when the family comes into focus. Some readers find that the narrative jumps around and is at times hard to follow. It rewards anyone curious about medicine and its ethics.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2010) is a non-fiction book by American author Rebecca Skloot. It was the 2011 winner of the National Academies Communication Award for best creative work that helps the public understanding of topics in science, engineering or medicine.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.3 across 741 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 83% of the weight and the score stays at 8.3 — the Biography & memoir average of 8.1 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.4 | 46 | 6% |
| Hardcover | 8.3 | 695 | 94% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks?
It has 381 pages — longer than 69% of the ranked books in Biography & memoir.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Biography & memoir — and a score of 8.3, the closest to this book.
