Lessons In Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus

Set in California in the early 1960s, Lessons in Chemistry introduces readers to Elizabeth Zott, a talented research chemist whose intelligence and determination clash with a society that refuses to take women in science seriously.

At the Hastings Research Institute, Elizabeth works alongside an overwhelmingly male scientific team that views equality very differently from her. One notable exception is Calvin Evans, a brilliant and highly respected chemist who recognizes Elizabeth's extraordinary abilities. Their intellectual connection develops into something deeper, but life soon takes an unexpected and painful turn.

A few years later, Elizabeth finds herself raising her daughter while her scientific career has moved far from the path she originally imagined. Through an unlikely sequence of events, she becomes the reluctant host of a television cooking program called Supper at Six.

Elizabeth, however, has little interest in becoming a conventional television cooking personality. She approaches cooking as a scientist, explaining recipes through chemistry and encouraging her audience to think critically. What begins as a cooking program gradually becomes something much more significant: a platform through which Elizabeth challenges women to question expectations and imagine different possibilities for their lives.

Combining humor, romance, social commentary, and memorable characters, Lessons in Chemistry explores sexism, motherhood, grief, friendship, resilience, professional ambition, and the struggle for equality. At its heart is an unconventional heroine who refuses to accept that society should determine what women are capable of achieving.