nila's Reviews (526)

I really enjoyed this vibe, the only thing I didn't really like where the moments when Ness clearly felt he needed to explain something, but it just takes you out of the story. It's kind of Moby-Dick with a twist. I don't usually like vague writing, but this felt like reading Pan's Labyrinth and I really enjoyed it. The artwork is gorgeous too, and fits the story so well

Absolutely heartbreaking. So simple, but really powerful 

Through the podcast - My Dad Wrote a Porno

Through the podcast - My Dad Wrote a Porno

Such beautiful writing and a great main character. I don't have the words to express how good this was eloquently.
The first 100 pages were a bit slow, but then it took off and now I feel it was all too short

Very fast-paced and engaging. The mixed media format of the story-telling was quite creative and smartly done (though some of it must have been for aesthetics). The only fault with the story is the messaging dialogue, which I found cringing at times, both the "text-speak" and CONSTANT quipping (like Tony Stark talking to himself) between the teenage main characters, and then the occasional subtle sexting between higher officials or whatever their titles were. It sorta downplayed the tension and the severity of the actual plot. There were other occasions of humour I really enjoyed, which was more observational through the reports and other characters. Also I want to know more about McCall. She was cool

This is one of those books that feels like an experience,  my chest still hurts

A must read! This is more than just a story of a scientific breakthrough, but also a well-monitored discussion and depiction of race and privilege, and also ethics and moral in the scientific community for the past century or so (be warned, information of scientific studies performed on black people were very disturbing. I was shocked, but absolutely not surprised.) I appreciate Skloot's approach to the story and her truthful depictions of everyone involved. She interviews people on both sides, and writes their statements almost exclusively in full, but then she includes empirical and statistical facts that puts their statements in perspective.

But at its center, this is a book about Henrietta Lacks' life before, during and after her cancer cells became a medical phenomenon and her family's road to uncovering her story and the impact of her unknowing contribution. Please read it 

Honestly, this would've gotten a much higher rating if the story of Jason hadn't dragged on for as long as it did. The stories of Atalanta and Theseus were my favorites