I've been working for a while to develop a Frequently Asked Questions page to answers the most common reader questions about The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Well, it's now online, and it addresses questions ranging from why HeLa cells are immortal to how the Lacks family is benefiting from the book. It also includes answers to commonly asked publishing questions, like, How do I break into science writing? You can read it online here. If you have burning questions not answered there, leave them in the comments section below -- I'll add to the FAQ as questions arise and time allows.
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I read the book today, and really enjoyed it. I woke up and finished The Man who Loved Only Numbers. Went downstairs for coffee, breakfast and the paper. Finished those and settled down to read your book.
And I did not stop until I finished it later in the afternoon.
So cool that you started with a class in a community college. My younger son took his high school biology at the local community college because the high school program lacked substance (which changed for the better the next year!). My oldest son gets disability services at the community college. I also used the community college to get back to school (including taking the biology course I skipped in high school). Next year my daughter will take community college classes as a high school junior is a state program where motivated students get both high school and college credits (Washington State's Running Start program).
You made Henrietta Lacks and her family real three-dimensional characters. Mrs. Lacks was a real person, a loving mother and someone who deserved so much better. I hope her descendants the best.
I am also so grateful that my daughter has benefited from research by receiving the HPV vaccine series a couple of years ago. She and countless other will be spared the cancer that took Mrs. Lacks away from her young family.
Thank you.