How we cite our quotes: (Page)
Quote #1
Sometimes Elsie raced through the fields, chasing wild turkeys or grabbing the family mule by the tail and thrashing against him until Lawrence pulled her off. Henrietta's cousin Peter always said God had that child from the moment she was born, because that mule never hurt her. (44)
There's a sense in Lacks Town that Elsie's been "touched" by a higher power. Her disabilities weren't understood in scientific or medical terms, so her unique condition had to be articulated in terms familiar to a God-fearing people. The Lackses see the world in terms of wonders and signs: God working through everyday occurrences to make himself known to them.
Quote #2
Henrietta made Day drive her and Elsie to revival meetings so preachers in tents could lay hands on Elsie to heal her, but it never worked. (44-45)
The Lackses used the channels most familiar to them to seek help for Elsie. Henrietta and her family were perhaps hoping for a miracle, which was about as likely as them getting proper help from the medical community.
Quote #3
Carrel was a mystic who believed in telepathy and clairvoyance, and thought it was possible for humans to live several centuries through the use of suspended animation. (60)
Skloot is speaking here of French surgeon Alexis Carrel, the Nobel Prize winning Nazi-sympathizer who pioneered vascular surgery and supported Hitler's version of eugenics. Though his scientific discoveries were groundbreaking, it's clear that Carrel's mystical beliefs bordered on the bizarre.