Mrs Skloot Analysis

Rebecca Skloot, however, used a different perspective in her portrayal of Lacks. This is evident in the way in which she conducted her research and the way she wrote the book. Skloot’s book, The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks, included both the “scientific element concerns the origin and the subsequent uses of the HeLa cell line of cultured cancer cells” (Harper, 2011, p. 463) and the social and

Skloot elicits pathos throughout the book by telling the emotional story of Henrietta Lacks’ cervical cancer, and how it affected her family. Henrietta

When first starting the book, I had no idea who Henrietta Lacks was, let alone what a HeLa cell was. This is the main reason why Rebecca Skloot sought out to write this book: no one knew the origin of HeLa cells, no one knew the life this woman lived, and no one seemed to inquire about the information either. Some might say Rebecca solely wrote this book for the money she would make off of it. However, I believe her true intention of writing this book was to get the world talking about Henrietta Lacks and for people to know she was the woman behind the famous HeLa cells. There are other approaches she could have taken to get her information without having to have complete trust from Henrietta’s family members, but yet she chose to gain their trust, which speaks volumes to me.

Rebecca Skloot is an award writing author who’s book about the untold story of Henrietta Lacks was the New York Times Bestseller. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was published February 2 in 2010 by Crown Publishing Group. Skloot first heard about Henrietta Lacks in her community college biology class where her professor was teaching about cells and cell reproduction. At the time she was lost and confused about what she was learning in her biology class, but later on in life she would come to write about HeLa cells. She was so fascinated by the importance of Henriettas cells and all that her cells had allowed science to discover that Rebecca wanted to find out more about who the owner of the HeLa cells was.

famous for her cells. Rebecca Skloot wanted to know more about henrietta 's life so she met with

The resulting book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, combines the story of the HeLa cells with that of Henrietta and her family. Skloot works hard to gain the trust of the Lacks family, who were angry and distressed about HeLa and the way in which they had been treated. No one had ever explained to them what HeLa was and what it was used for; they struggled to reconcile the immortal existence of their mother’s cells with their own religious beliefs; they have had experiences of being misled and patronized by scientists and other people trying to exploit them; and some members of the family, who live in poverty and cannot afford health insurance, feel that they are entitled to a share of the vast profits that HeLa has made. Over several years, Skloot forms a relationship with the Lacks family, who begin to realize that she is not trying to exploit them. She becomes particularly close to Henrietta’s daughter, Deborah, who desperately wants to learn everything she can about the mother who died when she was just a toddler. Deborah also wants her mother’s story to be

had to contact many close family members. Skloot had to gain the trust from the family which was previously lost by the lack of information given to them about HeLa cells. They also had bad past experiences by previous reporters who had patronized them and were making money out of it. Skloot, over the course of several years, finally gains trust from the family and creates an unbreakable bond between themselves. R. Skloot becomes particularly close to Henrietta's’ daughter, Deborah.

Skloot had issues when it came to her education, but not because of a lack of intellect. Skloot was and is a perfect example for those looking to critique the American public education system. She had issues with the standard school system, and declared herself a “derelict” kid, and as a result had to repeat several grades. While learning at an “alternative” school, she took college classes, more specifically, a biology class. This class is where she first learned about the HeLa cell and Henrietta Lacks. Inspiration struck, and her life path was forever changed. Skloot became almost obsessed with Lacks, and little did she know that she would be forever associated with a wholly unrelated figure in medical history. Rebecca soon was off to a Portland community college, and after learning to become a veterinary technician, she gained her B.S in biological science from Colorado State University and her MFA in creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh. during her time in Colorado, she discovered her hidden talent for writing. Rebecca was encouraged to pursue her passions in both science and writing, and her fascination with Henrietta plus her talent with writing would soon guide her skills and non-existent stardom to new

(p. 282). In Elsie’s report, she is described by one word, “idiot.” After seeing how her mom is only known for HeLa, it is hard for Deborah to see another family member be mistreated and used by doctors. Overall, Skloot and Deborah’s journey to find the medical records at Crownsville make the reader feel as though they too are a part of the expedition. The Deborah’s passion to find out what happened to her sister makes Elsie’s story such an important part of Henrietta’s story, and one of the most fascinating pieces of the Lackses

In the first nine chapters Rebecca Skloot tells the personal story of Henrietta and her treatment for cervical cancer, gives an account of cell culture history and the beginning of HeLa, and begins to describe her journey with Henrietta’s family and friends that made the book possible. Throughout the telling of these events, the author creates a vivid picture of segregation and its effects in the lives of black Americans. African-Americans were forced daily to live with stark reminders that they were seen as ‘less’ by white citizens, the government, and even medical institutions. The reader begins to see this immediately in chapter one when Skloot notes Henrietta walking “past the “colored” bathroom” (1).

While Fadiman uses the Rogerian approach, Skloot uses an Aristotelian approach, which is a more aggressive style of writing, but much more persuading. To use the Aristotelian approach, you must state your claim at the very beginning, and then use evidence, the three appeals, and counterarguments to back up your claim, which is exactly what Skloot does. Skloot starts off the first couple chapters of the book by describing Henrietta and her family, and how Henrietta did not deserve what had happened to her. By doing this, Skloot shows her side of the argument and develops an emotional connection between the readers and Henrietta, which is an example of pathos. Later on in the story, Skloot interviews Henrietta’s cousin Cootie after her death and Cootie says, “‘Everything about Henrietta dead except them cells… You know other countries be buying her for twenty-five dollars, sometimes fifty? Her family didn’t get no money out of it’” (80-81). Skloot uses this interview to support her claim that Henrietta did not deserve to

In the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Skloot pictures the life of both Henrietta and her family. Skloot first starts with illustrating the early and adolescent life of Henrietta, and also ending it with Henrietta’s fight with cervical cancer. Skloot covers heavily on the ethics of researchers or scientists taking cells of Henrietta without her consent. The medical field becomes more involved with the creation of the HeLa cell line and starts getting out of control. Therefore, causing problems between the Lacks family and the hospitals.

If Ms Skloot had not been a part of the story, the book would not have been as interesting. Ms. Skloot's inclusion to the life of the Lacks family allowed the viewers to be in her shoes. The readers were able to see through the eyes of the author, as she goes on the quest to earn the trust from the Lacks and later on show the world that Hela wasn’t just a world changing cell but a person with a family and a life. The faith healing scene in page 289 would also have felt different because Skloot's existence in the scene gave it a feeling of bond that she had made with Deborah and Gary. Some other scene that made a difference because of her presence is in chapter 6. She was so eager to connect with the Lacks family. Skloot constantly calls

Skloot left such a long time gap between the last two chapters to only give the reader the important parts of the story. Between the last two chapters, no events worth putting into the story occurred. I do think this is a good decision as at the end the only important part is that Deborah dies. It was better to show her health failing and then her dying a couple years later, than to fill the gap with unimportant information. Instead of foreshadowing her death and then waiting awhile before Skloot mentions it, she is straightforward with it and lets the reader know.

Henrietta Lacks is not a common household name, yet in the scientific and medical world it has become one of the most important and talked names of the century. Up until the time that this book was written, very few people knew of Henrietta Lacks and how her cells contributed to modern science, but Rebecca Skloot aimed to change this. Eventually Skloot was able to reach Henrietta’s remaining family and through them she was able to tell the story of not only the importance of the HeLa cells but also Henrietta’s life.