Authorship and Authority

Authorship & Authority

There has been so much debate about who should tell Henrietta’s story and it is unnecessary. The ethnic background of Rebecca Skloot should not be questioned because she spent years interacting with the Lackses family trying to figure out the person behind HeLa cells. If people think that an African American should have written The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, then that means segregation still exists. When Henrietta was alive segregation existed, but it seems like we have not made progress to overcome segregation. Deborah could have told Henrietta’s story, but she died and did not know much about HeLa cells except for what she have been told. If I had to choose someone else to tell Henrietta’s story, then I would pick Deborah to be the storyteller. Deborah was the main family member who was affected by HeLa cells both mentally and physically. She practically made herself sick trying to figure out who her mother was and why HeLa cells were famous in science. Lawrence and Zakariyya knew who their mother was and cared more about suing John Hopkins to receive some of the profits. I also think Margaret could have told Henrietta’s story because Henrietta confidante in her the most. The problem with Deborah and Margaret telling Henrietta’s story is they would have not been able to access books and journals on HeLa cells.

I enjoyed reading the book, but I feel Skloot included unnecessary information about the family’s financial status. The reader is aware that the family is less fortunate than the average family, so Skloot does not need to repeat herself unless she tries to find a way for them to benefit from the profits. She should have found a way for the family to receive health insurance instead of discussing Deborah money problems into details. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks became popular and made a lot of money, but the family only received a thank you from the author. Skloot created the Henrietta Lack Foundation; however, none of the donations go directly to the family. Skloot developed a relationship with the Lackses family yet I do not think she tried to get the family some justice. She could have told the story in a way that does not reflect the family’s financial status because she did not try to help Henrietta’s immediate family. Sloot could have made Deborah a co-author to honor both Henrietta and Deborah so the family can receive some of the book profits.