In the non-fiction book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, author Rebecca Skloot sets out to uncover the story behind Henrietta Lacks, the woman who was the original source of the famous Cell Line HeLa. The HeLa cell line is famous for being considered “immortal” because the cells divide without stopping or dying. They have aided scientific research in various fields, although their endless growth has caused problems in laboratories as they can compete with other cell lines and take up too much space. Although these cells have been extensively studied for many years, much less is known about Henrietta herself. After learning about HeLa cells in biology class when she was younger, Skloot was curious to learn more about their original source. Shocked by how little information there was about Henrietta, she decided to start telling this woman's story. Her journey to write the story of Henrietta Lack took her from Baltimore to Clover, Virginia, the town where Henrietta originally grew up in her grandfather's cabin, which were former slave quarters. Along the way, Skloot seeks out as many of Henrietta's living relatives as she can, having to put everything she has into getting them to tell her about their relatives' pasts. The Lacks family has a lot of distrust for having been burned by previous journalists and for not receiving any benefit from the cells that Henrietta contributed to science. The book alternates excerpts from Henrietta's life and moments during the search for information on Skloot. Henrietta spent her 31-year life as a tobacco farmer, caring for her children and husband from a young age. She is described as a beautiful woman, full of life, which is why her battle with cervical cancer contrasts so starkly in the book. In 1951 it came down... halfway through the paper... it was done for monetary compensation. Here lies the ethical question. An individual must agree to have their tissues used, and researchers must be faithful in following these agreements. Overall, Rebecca Skloot does a fantastic job in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks telling an interesting story while also bringing to light major ethical issues in medical research. He uses the most current sections to describe his search for information about Henrietta and how HeLa cells affected his family. At the same time, it eloquently tells Henrietta's story and illustrates how the ethical standards of medical research were not upheld. These ethical issues must be addressed so that medical research can continue without being harmful to society. Works Cited Skloot, R. (2010). The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Corona Editori.