Rebecca Skloot, The Author Of The Immortal Life Of Henrietta

Rebecca Skloot, the author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, vividly described a series of disturbing events that took place. Henrietta was a woman who helped changed the face of medicine. Her cancerous cells never died. Scientists and doctors experimented with them and created new treatments to various diseases. The disturbing events that occur after the death of Henrietta are crucial if her story is to be told correctly. Some of these events include sexual assault to one of Henrietta’s daughters, the beating of Joe, Henrietta’s son, as a child, and torture to people with illnesses like Elise, another one of Henrietta’s daughters. One of the most disturbing events in this book is when Deborah was sexually assaulted, and her father†¦show more content†¦Child abuse is not okay. No child should have to experience this. This is very disturbing because Skloot’s diction creates a vivid image in the reader’s mind. As Joe grew older, he no longer felt pain. All he felt was the rage. He even killed a man because of the mental trauma Ethel beat into him. Throughout the whole time, Day was oblivious. He had no clue his children were beaten and starved. It is insane how some parents have no time for the children and neglect them. They do not take time out of their day to ask them how they are, if they are okay, or simply spend time with them. Day did not even go see Elise, who was born with defects and sent to an institution. Elise was Henrietta and Day’s other child, who was born with many mental disabilities. They sent her off to â€Å"The Hospital for the Negro Insane† because they thought that would be best for her. They were wrong. Deborah went to this place long after Elise died and found a picture of her. â€Å"Elsie stands in front of a wall painted with numbers for measuring height. Her hair, which Henrietta once spent hours combing and braiding, is frizzy, with thick mats that stop just below the five-foot mark behind her. Her once-beautiful eyes bulge from her head, slightly bruised and almost swollen shut. She stares somewhere below the camera, crying, her face misshapen and barely recognizable, her nostrils inflamed and ringed with mucus; her lips – swollen to nearlyShow MoreRelatedThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks Essay1348 Words   |  6 PagesSeyi Mellissa, Elliott AP English September 10, 2016 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks This is a book that tells a story of an African-American woman and the Scientific journey of her cells, it also goes in depth about how her daughter came to find out about her immortal cells. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is divided into three layers and each part discusses different event that happened during the course of Henrietta’s life, death, and immortality. 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