The idea wasn't his, nor the work nor the science behind it, but the cells were. That has to count for something. Rebecca Skloot sees a glimpse of this at age sixteen, and in that moment, Rebecca's life is no longer her own. And for this reason the boundaries of science and ethics are no longer separate issues. Rebecca Skloot thinks it counts for something. People do bad things that have bad results and get away with it. And people do bad things that have good results and get away with it. Rebecca Skloot's nonfiction novel, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, questions the morality behind decisions that can benefit the human population. Does it make stealing acceptable because stealing this particular thing (Henrietta's cells) "helped develop drugs to treat herpes, leukemia, influenza, hemophilia, and Parkinson's disease" (Skloot 10)? Rebecca Skloot focuses on emotional appeals; he not only wants to question ethics in science, but also shed light on what those in higher positions are able to get away with. Skloot embarks on a passionate journey as he critiques the ethics of scientists, the injustice cast upon the Lacks, and family bonds that run deeper than connective tissue and cancerous cells. Skloot immerses himself in the cells, in the dynamics, in the family and emerges with the reader, on the other side, transformed. Rebecca Skloot challenges the ordinary when she presents Henrietta's story. Chronology plays an important role in the flow of this piece of nonfiction. Rebecca takes the reader, first, through Henrietta's diagnosis before taking them back to the beginning of Henrietta Lacks' life. The reality and brutality of this chapter is what draws the reader in. The brevity of the chapter and... half of the paper... ok. Skloot isn't just educating his readers because if he were all the extra details and descriptions wouldn't be necessary. Skloot seeks to unite human connection on an emotional level. This is not a book a reader can dip a toe into. The reader has a choice: fully enjoy the book and immerse himself in it, or look at it from a detached and more logical point of view, focusing solely on the facts. That's not what Skloot wanted. Skloot wrote this book to tell not only the story of Henrietta's stolen cells, but also the story of Henrietta and her family, and the effect of her death on them. Skloot brings the reader to the forefront of this time when medical rights were just beginning and unethical behavior was socially accepted. The reader has the opportunity to see what a lack of personal morals and code of ethics in the medical field can really mean.