Lessons in Chemistry

Author: Bonnie Garmus

The novel revolves around the character of chemist Elizabeth Zott, who is no ordinary woman, but rather the first to initiate and point out that there is no such thing as an ordinary woman. However, it's the early 1960s, and her all-male team at the Hastings Research Institute holds an unscientific view of equality. Except for one person: Calvin Evans, the brilliant, reclusive Nobel Prize-nominated grudge-holder, who falls in love with her mind before anything else. But life, like science, is unpredictable. That's why, a few years later, Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother but also a reluctant TV star, hosting America's most beloved cooking show, "Supper at Six." Elizabeth proves that her unconventional approach to cooking is revolutionary: ("Add one tablespoon of acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride"). But as her following grows, it becomes clear that not all audiences are pleased; because Elizabeth Zott is not only teaching women how to cook, but also inciting them to challenge the status quo.