Book reviews! The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Still Alice

I love to read.  I mean, LOVE TO READ.   When I travel I usually fly through 2-3 books while waiting and flying.  Toward the end of last year, I had a few books that were disappointing and I was in a definite rut.   So, I vowed to make 2015 better and so far I think I have set the bar pretty high!

First off was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.   I cannot say enough good things about this book!  As a science nerd, this totally appealed to me but didn't go so far into detail that I was lost in the minute details of it all.  There was also a human aspect that was undeniably astounding.

The premise is a woman named Henrietta who goes to Johns Hopkins to be treated for cervical cancer.   Henrietta's cells are extracted and grown in the lab in what is honestly one of the biggest breakthroughs in medical history.   Henrietta's cells go on to do amazing things and for years her family has very little knowledge of the huge impact their loved one has on the world of science and medicine.

Part of this story that touched me was the tenacity of her daughter throughout this whole book.   I cannot imagine the strength that this woman must have possessed.  This book stuck with me long after I finished it.   I pondered the moral implications as well as the huge impact of this story long after I closed the book.  I highly recommend this book and I normally am not into non-fiction.  Also, this would be a phenomenal choice for Black History Month!

The second book I dove into was Still Alice.   I didn't realize this was a hot movie of 2015 when I read the book, but I can totally see why.  This is another book that is still bouncing around in my cluttered mind.

The book follows Alice, who I believe is early 50s, from her beginning symptoms well into advanced Alzheimer's disease.  This story is touching and does an amazing job of portraying this disease from the viewpoint of the patient, but without being so depressing that I couldn't finish it.

I have a grandfather who has advanced dementia following strokes almost 15 years ago.  I have to say that I really wish I had read something like this years ago before he was as far gone as he is now.  But it still gave me a different perspective for which I am grateful. This is definitely a book that I think of as a "must read", but even more so if you have a family member or friend with any type of illness such as Alzheimer's.   The perspective you will gain is well worth the time.

My book for February is Love Anthony by the same author as Still Alice.   So far, it's a pretty easy read.  I'm optimistic that my streak of good book choices is continuing.  If you'd like to join me in reading this one and discuss at the end of the month, please let me know!!

Coming soon to the blog will be a book review from my 10 year old son.   I think you will all enjoy it.

xoxo  Happy Monday!