Immortal Life

Before I wrote a post for this book I wanted to wait until I finished it. The overarching question of our discussion was "how much is this book about race"? This book highlights many of topics that we have already discussed in class: the Tuskegee experiment, night doctors, and the stereotypes that are presented from white doctors to black patients as well as the way black patients view white doctors. Most fascinating to me is the way that the family reacts to her cells accolades. In particular the misunderstanding that her cells will lead to a better treatment for sufferers of blindness is translated into her cells will allow Stevie Wonder to see. Although humorous, this dialogue in particular let me understand that Skloot is not trying to paint this story as a "white doctors are evil, and black people once again are at the will of the white man". I felt that the racial undertones of the story are essential for the reader to have empathy for the family, and allow us to understand their anxieties not just because they are black but also the fact that the success of the cells led to unwanted attention and the wrong type of reconciliation