In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, several cellular research studies involving Henrietta's cells are described. Author Rebecca Skloot writes about Henrietta Lacks' journey through her cervical cancer and how her cells changed the lives of millions long after her death. Skloot tells the story of cellular research, including which studies were successful and which were not so successful. It is necessary for the author to include the disturbing accomplishments and practices of scientists throughout this story to inform readers and focus on how Henriette's cells were used. The truth always matters to readers and Henrietta's family deserves the truth. Skloot gains credibility by describing researchers who have taken different approaches to growing cells. A French surgeon at the Rockefeller Institute, Alexis Carrel, grew his "immortal chicken heart." Many researchers thought it wasn't possible to have tissue living outside the body, and Carrel proved them wrong by successfully growing a shard of chicken heart tissue in culture. Dr. George Gey was chief of tissue culture research at Johns Hopkins Hospital where Henrietta was being treated for her cancer. Dr. Gey and his wife spent years trying to grow cells outside the human body in search of the cause and a cure for cancer. Most of the cells tested died or barely grew. In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Skloot writes: "The Geys were determined to cultivate the first immortal human cells: a continuous dividing line of cells all descended from an original sample, cells that would constantly replenish themselves and never die » (30; chap. 3). Little did they know that they were about to grow the first immortal human cells, using the cells they had removed from the middle of a sheet of paper. It provides a sense of clarity for readers to understand the various consequential situations it implements. Skloot describes what the family endured by not knowing and discovering Henrietta's cells, as well as describing the family's reactions to the situation. She gains credibility by telling the family's history involving the various places she visited such as Clover, Virginia where Henrietta grew up, the house she grew up in, as well as the unmarked grave in which her son rests. body. CitySkloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. (P.30). New York, NY: BroadwayPublishers, 2010. Print.Tanner, David E. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” Journal of Popular Culture 43.4 (2010): 916—918. Academic research completed. Internet. February 26. 2012.