Blog # 3

I'm not sure whether anyone has the right to tell the story of another person, however in this case I feel it was necessary. A lot of the time stories of injustices and peoples sufferings go untold and more often than not these stories are told by an author with a different cultural background. I think that Rebecca Skloot tried to give life to Henrietta lacks so that the reader could see a person. I also think that she became really close to Henrietta’s family and to Henrietta herself that it’s almost as if she believed she knew what Henrietta would say. That is not to say that what the author did was right. I feel that maybe that was a little much. I would have liked this story to have been told by someone with more insight and cultural background. I also think that the profit made from the book should go to the family or at least some of it since the book emphasizes how much Henrietta and the family had been exploited, and whether the author is white or black the author would have still been the beneficiary. I am glad that Rebecca wrote the book if not we would have maybe never known the story of Henrietta Lacks. It is important to know about these types of injustices so that we become better informed and more aware of what goes on. This book made me realize the importance of reading, because there is so much knowledge out there in books that is not taught or mentioned to us in school and ultimately it is up to us to become better critical thinkers so that we won't get taken advantage of.