I am so glad I read this book! I don't know where to start with Immortal Life, because there were a lot of interesting things in it. 
 I think what made her story so fascinating was that they took her cells without asking. I mean, it's not surprising, given the time period (not that I'm trying to assume anything, because assuming isn't good) but it's hard to believe. Her own family has trouble getting good healthcare, and I really felt for them, especially her one daughter, who wanted to know more about her mother. 
 Immortal Life is really two stories- HeLa cells, which are very really important in the science world. A lot of advancements made seem to be based on the cells they took from Lacks. The other story is of Lacks herself (only a little) but it focuses more on her family and how what happened to Lacks had such a huge effect on them. 
 Not only that, but I was horrified by how Lacks name was attached to the cells, and that her name was attached to her medical records...and that they just randomly handed it off to people. I work in medical records for my day job, and I kept having to remind myself that this was way before HIPAA and that there weren't federal privacy laws. At least some states had them, but unfortunately, Maryland wasn't one of those states. That has since changed, but I was so taken aback by that. And the fact that they didn't even have the right name! 
 I can't help but wonder so many things. Like, how would things have been different if they did get informed consent. Was her race or socioeconomic status a factor? 
 And she is definitely a real person, which the researchers seemed to forget. It did seem like they saw her as just cells, and it also felt a little bit like that with her family too. I don't blame her family at all for wanting their mother to be recognized for her huge contribution to science. It's such a balanced look, and you see so many different pieces of the story. 
 It's definitely a non-linear story, and Skloot herself does appear in the book. But it's only when it's absolutely necessary, and I can't imagine the story being told in a linear way. 
 I feel like it's so hard to do this book justice, but it's such an amazing look at the ethics of research and consent and trying to find the truth. 
 My Rating: 5 stars. It's an awesome book, and if you haven't read it, you really need to.