Lessons in Chemistry

 By Nate Feldman

Lessons in Chemistry is the 2022 debut novel for author Bonnie Garmus which tells the story of  Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant Chemist, who deals with severe workplace discrimination in the late 1950s-early 1960s America when women were not expected to have big professional ambitions.  Eventually, Zott gains national fame as the host of a cooking show, in which she not only teaches people to prepare dinner in a unique way, often referring to things as chemical compounds than their actual name, but also raises awareness about important social issues. 

Plot Summary:

The novel begins by giving Elizabeth’s backstory, mentioning that she was on the road to getting a Ph.D at UCLA when a prestigious faculty member sexually assaulted her.  This incident inspires her to carry a number 2 pencil in her head the rest of the story as she used this to as a weapon against her attacker.  She has to leave school and begins working at the Hastings Research Institute, where she is leading groundbreaking research but is overlooked and mistreated because of her gender. 

While at Hastings, she catches the attention of Calvin Evans, one of the lead Chemists and a nobel-prize nominee, who eventually becomes her lover.  Calvin is brilliant as well but is extremely socially awkward, as is she, leading to a passionate, but unusual for the times relationship.  They find a stray dog who becomes a constant companion throughout the story, and he shares his passion for rowing with her.  He wants to marry her, but she never wants to marry.  They continue living together, but Calvin is accidentally run over by a police officer while jogging with the dog one morning.  Shortly after, Elizabeth discovers she is pregnant with their child.  Getting pregnant out of wedlock, something viewed as a grave sin at the time, gets her terminated at Hastings.

After having a daughter, Madeline or “Mad” as she is referred to on her birth certificate, Elizabeth tries to resume work at Hastings, but the same manager that fired her, uses her research to get published, so she leaves again.  After this, her career takes an unusual turn when she confronts the father of one of Mad’s classmates, who has been stealing lunch from her.  The father, who works at a local TV station and is desperate to fill in the afternoon time slot, thinks she has potential to be a great on-air personality.  Thus begins her life as the host of the show Supper at Six. 

Opinion: There are many things to love about this story.  Elizabeth Zott is a unique protagonist, not only being an independent-minded woman, especially at a time when such behavior was strongly frowned upon, but also her way of seeing everything from a scientific vantage point.  Her strong spirit and determination is admirable.  She not only inspires women to reach their full potential, but also men as well.  She shows what is possible when people don't let society's judgments and norms take control of their lives.  

I also enjoyed reading about her romantic relationship with Calvin as I felt their brilliant, but socially awkward, characters matched one another perfectly.  He was no Prince Charming, nor was she a damsel in distress.  Their characters and their attempts at showing love and affection felt real. 

This story has been very popular for the past couple of years, and it even has a series on Apple TV based on it.  I strongly recommend people enjoy it and take time to think over some of the lessons brought up in the story.