I had no idea about any of this. What a saga this author undertook in researching Henrietta's story for so many years and down so many paths. I feel as though I learned a lot about the field of medical research. This took a little while to grab me, but when it did, it did! 
 Favorite quotes: 
 We'd form a deep personal bond, and slowly, without realizing it, I'd become a character in her story, and she in mine. 
 And replication is an essential part of science: a discovery isn't considered valid if others can't repeat the work and get the same result. 
 "We trust that this measure of discipline will serve as a stern warning that zeal for research must not be carried to the point where it violates the basic rights and immunities of a human person." 
 As of 2005--the most recent year figures were available--the U.S. government had issued patents relating to the use of about 20 percent of known human genes, including genes for Alzheimer's, asthma, colon cancer, and, most famously, breast cancer. (!!!) 
 Because of patent licensing fees, it costs $25,000 for an academic institution to license the gene for researching a common blood disorder, hereditary haemochromatosis, and up to $250,000 to license the same gene for commercial testing. At that rate, it would cost anywhere from $46.4 million (for academic institutions) to $464 million (for commercial labs) to test one person for all known genetic diseases. 
 Now there are patents and proprietary information where there once was free information flow.