This book was written for all readers, and I believe that the author, Rebecca Skloot, faced some challenges while writing this book so a broad audience can understand what is going on in the story. For a medical audience, many diseases, medical procedures, and acronyms can be just stated in the book and that particular audience will be able to understand what is going on. For a broad audience however, many acronyms and medical terminology will have to be explained in a way that can be understood by everyone from different levels of education. Being able to do that effectively probably required research of many medical topics. Topics which the author may be unfamiliar with. This process could take a lot of time and must have been the most difficult task for Rebecca Skloot.
There are some challenges that I will face while reading The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks. As of right now, I do not know if I believe that the Lacks family should be compensated for all of the discoveries made with her sample, or if the family should not be compensated for her sample because all Henrietta did was provide a sample and the scientists led to the cures of many diseases and the important advances in medical science. I do believe that Henrietta's sample was taken illegally and that procedure should never have taken place without consent, regardless of race. I am not sure however, if she should receive millions of dollars in compensation when she never performed any scientific tests for may years to achieve those scientific discoveries.
Sources: Synopsis from
Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life OF Henrietta Lacks. New York: Crown Publishers. 2010.
