How we cite our quotes: (Page)
Quote #4
"Voodoo," [Cootie] whispered. "Some peoples sayin Henrietta's sickness and them cells was man- or woman-made, others say it was doctor-made." (82)
Skloot gets a real sense of how the Lackses thought about illness when she speaks with Henrietta's cousin Cootie for the first time. Knowing that the Lackses believed that darker forces were at work in Henrietta's devastating illness helped Skloot understand what they needed to be at peace with HeLa: a basic scientific explanation of what happened to her and how the cells were developed.
Quote #5
As Cliff and Fred lowered Henrietta's coffin into her grave and began covering her with handfuls of dirt, the sky turned black as strap molasses. The rain fell thick and fast. Then came long rumbling thunder, screams from the babies, and a blast of wind so strong it tore the metal roof off the barn below the cemetery and sent it flying through the air above Henrietta's grave […]. (92)
The Lacks family believes in "wonders and signs"—and we have to say, this incident at Henrietta's burial was pretty convincing. The wicked storm that blew up at her funeral sure convinced her family that Henrietta was trying to tell them something.
Quote #6
"Scientists are using technology her cells helped to develop to grow other people's corneas."
"That's a miracle," Sonny said. "I didn't know about that, but the other day President Clinton said the polio vaccine is one of the most important things that happened in the twentieth century, and her cells involved with that too."
"That's a miracle," Lawrence said. (162)
While Skloot attempts to explain the science behind HeLa cells and how they help in research, Henrietta's sons fall back on an explanation that's truer to them: all the scientific advances are heaven-sent. Skloot will eventually understand that this more religious approach to understanding science feels more concrete to Henrietta's family, and may give more meaning to Henrietta's story than dry facts about DNA or telomeres. She can't offer them any spiritual guidance, though. She's not really a believer from what the reader can tell, but she tries to be open-minded about it.