Lessons In Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus

Elizabeth Zott is a strong-minded female chemist in the 1960s who refuses to be treated differently in the workplace during this era of inequality between sexes. However, amidst a tragedy, Elizabeth finds that she is pregnant, gets promptly fired, then becomes the hostess of a cooking show. Elizabeth’s cooking show proves to be something revolutionary in teaching women not just to cook, but chemistry, to change the status quo, and find that courage to change. TW: SA, sexual harassment, suicide.

Stellar book. I’m a “tad” biased because of my love of science and cooking, so I’d suggest this to anyone similar to me in that sense. Elizabeth’s powerful off-the-tongue speeches I found particularly thrilling and awe-inspiring. My one concern is although Elizabeth likes to keep her diction professional, it does come across as pretentious sometimes when she says terms such as “sodium chloride” instead of salt. Either way, Lessons In Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus, is my number one, favorite book of all time. Highly recommend!

Reviewed by Sophia C., Grade 9

Pacific Park Library