This was in essence a book about ethics. It made me think about what I believe. At some points in this book I was offended by Skloot’s writing, seemingly trying to portray her own ethics through a sad story. As far as I am concerned, the doctors who took the cells from her did a good thing, because it was for the good of most people who were currently living and even more people who were still yet to be a part of this world. I believe that the most important ethic or rule to follow is doing the most possible good no matter what. If you try to make the world a better place, you just might. I realize that people could have a problem if Henrietta was hurt in order to help all of these people, however this is an invalid argument because in not taking her cells, the doctors would have prevented (or at least slow the pace of) many medical advancements that saved lives and helped others suffer less. In effect by not taking her cells, the doctors would have hurt many, many people. Skloot offended me with her emphasis on money for Henrietta’s family. They did nothing and deserve nothing for that. I feel sorry for the family, but only because Henrietta died, not because success came from something that she didn’t even know happened.
