Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

“Sometimes I think,” she said slowly, “that if a man were to spend a day being a woman in America, he wouldn’t make it past noon.”

Elizabeth Zott is a chemist in the 1950s at Hastings Research Institute. She is absolutely brilliant, yet no one at Hastings will take her seriously as a chemist because she is a woman. Fast forward a few years and Elizabeth Zott (I can’t just say her first name…read the book and I think you will be the same!) is a single mother with a hit television cooking show: Supper at Six. Her show is not your typical cooking show as she teaches the chemistry involved with cooking to her viewers. Elizabeth Zott’s show and her “lessons in chemistry” through the show have empowered women in America to change the status quo. Of course, that means many people dislike her show.

While Elizabeth Zott is the main character in this book, two other standouts need a mention because they just shine. The first, is her daughter, Mad. She is inquisitive and no-nonsense. I just loved her! The other standout is Six-Thirty, Elizabeth Zott’s dog. Six-Thirty is no ordinary dog. He is a bomb squad flunk-out who is extremely intelligent, protective and positively insightful. I could name a many other characters that make this book special. It’s a stellar cast.

The U.S. cover for this book makes it seem to be chick lit. Don’t be deceived! This book will have you angry, cheering, laughing and perhaps even crying if you are so inclined. This is one of those books that left me a little sad at the end because I know anything I read after it will pale in comparison. It’s been compared to Where’d You Go, Bernadette and it definitely has that quirkiness. However, this book is so much deeper than I expected and so much better than I could have imagined. Bonnie Garmus better be writing another book because her debut has me clamoring for another!

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