About this item
A middle-grade adaptation of Rebecca Skloot's critically acclaimed, New York Times nonfiction bestsellerHenrietta Lacks was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, and whose cells—taken without her knowledge when she was treated for cancer in 1951—have become one of the most important tools in medicine. The Lacks family did not learn of Henrietta's cells until 20 years after her death, but these first "immortal" human cells grown in culture are still alive today: they've been bought and sold by the billions and have been vital in fighting polio, cancer, and many viruses. This incredible book explores race, bioethics, scientific research, human rights, the power of family, and the question of whether we control the very cells we're made of.
About the Author
Gregory Mone is the author of fourteen works of fiction and nonfiction for both children and adults, including Atlantis: The Accidental Invasion, Fish, and the Jack and the Geniuses series with Bill Nye. He is a contributing editor at Popular Science and an award-winning science writer. A graduate of Harvard College, he lives with his family on Martha's Vineyard.
