I have now discussed this book in two different book clubs, with dramatically different results. The only flaw that I found personally in the book was the lack of going into the ethics, but Ms. Skloot leaves you to draw your own conclusions about the ethics. Skloot leads us on a journey of discovery about the HELA cells and the woman who 'donated' them. Amazing to think that we all benefited from the mutation in her body that took her life.

The book clips along at an easy pace as Hawking tells about his life. The last couple of chapters are more technical, but of note. The topic and aspects of the book generated a fair amount of discussion among our group.

Since this book is a bit long for some of us to read in 1 month with busy schedules, our small group of usuals divided the book up into 10 chapters each and presented our set. Book club time took longer than usual but it kept the conversation going with the vast array of topics covered. Some of the chapters were overlapping with information, but it made for smoother discussions when we encountered a similar topic previously hashed. Some of the chapters are just a few pages, but others are longer. Some seemed to cut off in an odd place when Harrison was making his point. Each chapter/topic ends with a list of reading material to explore that topic further. We used some of those suggestions to add to our list of possibles.