This book was very meaningful to me in many different ways. It began by explaining who Henrietta Lacks was (the main character at the beginning) and how she did not have much of an education, which made it difficult for her to fully understand what was happening to her. A central idea of the book is that Henrietta’s family didn’t know or allow that doctors and scientists would use her cells without proper consent. Those cells, known as HeLa cells (from her name), were then used in many important scientific developments, from cancer research to the polio vaccine.

Reading this book changed my perspective on life. It made me realize how important it is to be aware of what is happening around you, because otherwise, people will take advantage of you and what you have if you don’t stick up for yourself. In my opinion, the worst part of the story is that Henrietta’s family was never paid, even though her cells were used all over the world in many different ways. Her family struggled financially and could have really benefited from that extra money. On the other hand, I was annoyed that all her relatives didn’t really care about her cells being used until they realized they should’ve been financially compensated. It made me realize that people are greedy and that greed clouds their vision of life.