Deborah Skloot Summary

Initially, I was perplexed by why Skloot’s research narrative and relationship with Deborah seemed to end after 2001 when the book was not finished and sent to press until 2009. What I quickly realized though, was how much time and dedication it must have taken between 2001 and 2009 for Skloot to synthesize all her research. A quick glance at the Acknowledgements and Notes section of the work illuminates how much research was involved in this process. Not only that, but also getting the words just right had to be an incredible challenge. As a read through the second and third parts of the book I noticed how Rebecca herself moved from an outsider in the narrative to herself becoming a player in the Lack’s childrens’ lives - the baptism scene

Likewise, I thought it was powerful that Rebecca, herself a researcher and early on viewed as a potential danger, decided to take the profits of this book and utilize them towards a foundation for Henrietta that would not just provide monetary compensation as a rectification for the past wrongs done against the Lacks’ children, but would rather benefit the future education of their

I have learned from her prose style how to approach expository writing in a manner that is not cold and disconnected from the “human-side” of the story. By interjecting one’s self into their process, such as Skloot has, I see the benefits of not only creating credibility for ones work but also illuminating the process further for the reader. Likewise, Skloot is able to present herself as a player in the research process, and not as a cold, authoritative, outside voice that denotes the results to an audience. As a reader, I can see where Skloot’s biases might lie, but I can also appreciate how she has given a voice in her narrative to all sides, even attempting to track down an individual (Cofield) and allow him to vocalize himself, in the face of his blatant fraud and psychological complications. Ultimately, I am excited to share this work with future students as we approach the research process and evaluate how a narrative can be crafted and stories can be told within the context of an objective process. I think this text would serve as a great bridge towards deeping their own understanding of expository writing, as it has mine, and also encourage further intellectual conversation towards the impact of our choices and the challenges of the society in which we live. Likewise, I can further employ