This was a very engaging book that covers a wide range of topics which are both very timely for our culture and very important. What makes this book stand out from others which engage issues of racism, exploitation, medical ethics and the commercialization of human tissue is the relationship that the author develops with the family, in particular with the daughter of Henrietta Lacks. This relationship is the very heart of the book and the reason why these questions are so controversial -- because we are talking about human beings. And human beings have an innate dignity. 
 That is the question which is held in tension throughout the narrative: human dignity vs. scientific research (which can lead and has led to many advances which have saved tons of lives as well as dramatically improve the lives of countless people). Is your body your own? Where do your rights end? What is ethical in the name of research and science? What is the juxtaposition of law vs. ethics?