The World's Best Book Summaries
What happened to the Lacks children after their mother died? Why did Ethel Lacks and Galen Lacks move in? How did their presence change the lives of the Lacks children? Ethel Lacks was the wife of Galen Lacks. The two of them moved in with the Lacks family after Henrietta died. Galen was Henrietta’s cousin. Read more about Ethel Lacks and her husband, including their abuse of the children.
How did HeLa cells become such an important part of scientific development and discoveries? Who was the doctor that turned the tissue from Henrietta Lacks into the HeLa cells? What did Dr. George Gey gain from his efforts? George Otto Gey was a tissue researcher at Johns Hopkins when Henrietta Lacks was a patient. He made a deal with Lacks’ surgeon to use her tissue to make lasting cells. Learn more about Dr. George Gey, HeLa, and how his discovery impacted his life.
How did Edward Snowden start working for the CIA? Was the CIA Snowden’s top choice for government work? How did his time at the CIA influence his future leak? For Edward Snowden, CIA work was another opportunity for public service. At the CIA, Snowden could use his technical skills to help the country. Read more about Edward Snowden, CIA roles, and how the TISO program works.
Who was the middle son of Henrietta Lacks’ children? What was David Lacks, Jr. like after his mother passed? How did the man also known as Sonny Lacks feel about the use of HeLa cells? David Lacks, Jr. is better known as Sonny. He is the third of five children Henrietta Lacks had before she died in 1951. Learn about the life of Sonny Lacks, including why he finally gave in and agreed to meet Rebecca Skloot to talk about his mother.
Who is Christoph Lengauer? How did he use HeLa cells to pain other cells? How did the family of Henrietta Lacks feel about Dr. Lengauer contacting them? Christoph Lengauer is a scientist that created a method that revealed more parts of the DNA in a chromosome. The technique used HeLa cells to “paint” with fluorescent dye. Learn about Christoph Lengauer, Henrietta Lacks’ cells, and the revolutionary technique.
Who was Henrietta Lacks’s husband? How did she end up marrying her cousin, David “Day” Lacks? What happened to David Lacks Sr. after she passed? David Day Lacks was the husband and first cousin of Henrietta Lacks. Together, she and David Lacks Sr. had five children. Find out about David Day Lacks and his life with and after Henrietta Lacks.
How did a science journalist from Illinois and a poor woman from Baltimore become friends? How did Rebecca Skloot and Deborah Lacks meet? What was the relationship between the two women like? Rebecca Skloot and Deborah Lacks met while Skloot was researching Deborah’s mother, Henrietta Lacks. The two women became friends, despite an age gap of more than 20 years. Read about their relationship, including some paranoia that made things tense at times.
Who was the youngest child of Henrietta Lacks? Why did Joe Lacks change his name to Zakariyya Bari Abdul Rahman? How did he handle the death of his mother? Zakariyya Bari Abdul Rahman is the youngest child and third son of Henrietta Lacks and David “Day” Lacks. He was born Joe Lacks and changed his name in prison after converting to Islam. Learn more about the troubled life of Zakariyya Bari Abdul Rahman.
Who is Courtney Speed? What did she do for the Turner Station community? How did she advocate for Henrietta Lacks? Courtney Speed is a businesswoman from Turner Station. She sought recognition of Henrietta Lacks to help raise the profile of her community. Learn about Courtney Speed, Turner Station, and recognizing Henrietta Lacks.
Who was Deborah Lacks Pullum? How did her mother’s death and exploitation affect her? Did Deborah Lacks ever get anything for the HeLa cells taken from her mother? Deborah Lacks Pullum was the fourth child of Henrietta Lacks and David “Day” Pleasant. She was the only daughter to survive to adulthood. Her efforts to find out more about her mother combined with other struggles gravely affected her health. Read about the life of Deborah Lacks Pullum, who struggled while others profited off the cells taken from her mother.