Bonnie Garmus is the author of Lessons In Chemistry, a wonderful story about a brilliant female character. Elizabeth Zott was studying chemistry which in the 1960's which is no easy task. Due to the criminal actions of a misogynistic professor she is unable to complete her degree. She gets a job at a research facility. The male researchers expect her to make the coffee and wash the test tubes. They don't see her brilliance. They completely mistake her for an average, subservient woman who is looking to get married, stay home, and make babies. One young hot shot scientist who holds grudges notices her when she comes into his lab to steak a box of beakers that she needs for her experiment. He comes into her lab to get the beakers back when he notices her. He notices her research, her probing questions, her brilliant mind, and superior intelligence. Things go well for a time. Six years later Elizabeth is a single mother. She takes a job on local television called "Supper By Six." On the show she says things like "Add 1 teaspoon of sodium chloride to a half cup of acetic acid." The producer of the show begs her to use words like salt and vinegar but she won't. Elizabeth has always been a great cook and the women watching her show are intrigued at first and become loyal fans. Soon lines are forming for the studio audience. Elizabeth gets mail with questions and she starts answering them on the show. She makes cooking fun! At the end of the show she says, "Kids, go set the table for your Mom. She needs a little down time." I can see why this book has been nominated for the best historical fiction and best debut novel. I liked it too.
No comments:
Post a Comment