The World's Best Book Summaries
Who was Bobbette Cooper Lacks? How did the death of Henrietta Lacks affect Bobbette and her relationship with Lawrence? How did Bobbette Lacks help the younger Lackses? Bobbette Lacks is the wife of Lawrence Lacks, son of the late Henrietta Lacks. Bobbette took in Lawrence’s younger siblings who were living in an abusive home after their mother’s death. Learn more about Bobbette Lacks and her perspective on Henrietta’s treatment.
Who was the father of Henrietta Lacks? How did John Randall Pleasant handle his large family after his wife died? Why did Johnny Pleasant move the family away from Roanoke? Johnny Pleasant was the father of Henrietta Lacks and her nine siblings. His family lived on the Lacks family tobacco farm near Clover, Virginia. Learn about Johnny Pleasant and his large extended family.
Why do people have give informed consent before participating in a research study? Is it in part because of Chester Southam’s experiment? How many people did Dr. Chester Southam inject with live cancer cells? Chester Southam was a researcher at Sloan-Kettering who studied HeLa cells to see if you could get cancer from contact with the cells. Chester Southam’s experiment injected live cancer cells into people, many times without their permission. Learn about Dr. Chester Southam and his unethical research, including what happened to him when people found out.
Why does the city of Atlanta have a Henrietta Lacks Day? Who is the doctor that advocated for that recognition? Where is Dr. Roland Pattillo now? Roland Pattillo is a gynecologist that organized the first HeLa conference. He was also one of the few African-American students that studied under the doctor that responsible for the spread of HeLa cell cultures. Learn more about Roland Pattillo and his efforts to recognize Henrietta Lacks.
Who is author Rebecca Skloot? Where did she get the idea for her book about Henrietta Lacks? How did Skloot research and write the book that went on to become an HBO miniseries? Rebecca Skloot is the author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. She studied biology in college and became a science reporter before writing the book. Learn about author Rebecca Skloot and what sparked her interest in Henrietta Lacks and her amazing cells.
Who was the first child of Henrietta Lacks and the sibling of Deborah Lacks? What happened to Lawrence Lacks? Where is Lawrence Lacks today? Lawrence Lacks is the first child of Henrietta Lacks and was born when she was just 14. After the death of Henrietta Lacks, Lawrence Lacks served in the military. Find out about the life of Lawrence Lacks.
Who was the gynecologist that excised tissue from Henrietta Lacks? Why did Richard Wesley TeLinde want her cells? How did TeLinde use the cells for research? Richard Wesley TeLinde was a well-known gynecologist and the superior of the doctor treating Henrietta Lacks at Johns Hopkins. Dr. TeLinde was interested in the treatment and progression of carcinoma in situ, meaning noninvasive carcinoma. Learn about how Richard Wesley TeLinde’s research interests changed the course of science.
Who was the geneticist that may have revealed Henrietta’s real name? How did Victor McKusick attempt to dupe the Lacks family? Did McKusick and his postdoctoral fellow Susan Hsu do anything wrong? Victor McKusick is the geneticist at Johns Hopkins that studied the genes of Henrietta Lacks’ family. He and Susan Hsu were working on the issue of HeLa contamination. Find out what Victor McKusick and Susan Hsu did, and whether it was legal.
Who were Henrietta Lacks’ children? How did they cope with the tragic death of their mother? What happened to Henrietta Lacks’ kids as they got older? Henrietta Lacks’ children are Lawrence, Elsie, Sonny, Deborah, and Joe. After her death, Henrietta Lacks’ kids were cared for in part by cousins that turned out to be abusive. Read about Henrietta Lacks’ children, what happened to them in the decades after she passed, and how the use of HeLa cells affected them.
Who was Dr. Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield? Was he really a doctor? Was he really a lawyer? Was he really a member of the aristocracy? Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield was just a conman, who claimed to be related to Henrietta Lacks. He posed as both a lawyer and a doctor after already serving time in prison for fraud. Learn more about Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield, his cons, and his many lawsuits.