After her death in 1951, for six decades, Henrietta Lacks did not exist in the eyes of society, but her cells did. As? Well, the answer is quite simple. HeLa cells are the first immortal human cells. These cells never die and multiply every twenty-four hours. After spending 10 years perfecting her first book, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot has essentially captured the life, death, and aftermath of Henrietta Lacks' life. With controversial issues surrounding science, ethics, race, and class, Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey. From the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to the white labs with freezers full of HeLa cells, from Henrietta's small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia, to East Baltimore, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of In His Cells, Skloot dramatically shows that the history of the Lacks family is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans along with the question of bioethics and the legal battles over whether or not to control the substance we are made of. The most intriguing aspect of this story is how HeLa cells were used to develop the polio vaccine, uncover the secrets of cancer, viruses and the effects of the atomic bomb, and help lead to major advances in fertilization in vitro, cloning, and gene mapping, yet her five children are not even covered by medical insurance. Family can't sue for profit? This question has been asked several times and in various forms, but the answer remains controversial. As Skloot addresses in his book, many lawyers point out that the family “cannot sue for cell harvesting…[but] they could try to stop HeLa research through legislation… middle of paper… May 2010. Moreno, Jonathan D. "Lessons Learned from Half a Century of Experiments on Humans." L'Humanista September 1999: 9. Questiona. Network. May 31, 2010. "Nazi neighbor; Nathan Gasch moved to the United States to escape his memories of the Holocaust, but six decades later discovered that the man next door was an SS guard. In the camp where he had been a prisoner ." The Mirror (London, England) 6 October 2007: 31. Questiona. Network. May 31, 2010. "S. Fla. Hospital Named 'Most Dangerous' - Health News - WPLG Miami." News only | News from Miami, News from Fort Lauderdale, News from Florida, Weather | WPLG Local 10. Local 10News, September 14, 2009. Web. May 27, 2010..Skloot, Rebecca. The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Crown, 2010. Print.Williams, Patricia J. “State of Denial.” La Nazione 13 October 2003: 10. Question. Network. May 31st 2010.