July 11th’s Read

Although I prefer a physical edition of a book, sometimes, when I have one on hold at the library, the electronic version becomes available first. Such was the case of this week’s read, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.

When I’d put in the request, the library system stated it’d be thirty days before it would become available. However, much to my surprise, it came through on Friday, and I only had two weeks to read it. Since I’d been so excited to read it, I put The Lying Game aside (which I NEVER do!) and read this book instead. And forty-eight hours later, I finished! If you have not read this book, it’s a must for ALL women. If you watched The Big Bang Theory, picture Sheldon and Amy in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Two chemists meet when women’s roles were to be homemakers and homemakers only. However, Elizabeth Zott, the protagonist, does not believe in traditional roles and is a trailblazer laying the foundation for women to pursue their dreams and follow their passions. She doesn’t apologize for who she is and what she believes in. But she does struggle in a male-dominated society, constantly being put down, minimized, and not taken seriously, except for her love interest, Calvin––after a misunderstanding, he respects her and her career.

Elizabeth is forthright, speaking her mind without filters. Her deadpan answers, opinions, and interactions made me laugh out loud, although she doesn’t think she’s humorous in the least. Reading how women were viewed back then made my skin crawl. I was furious at how she was mistreated, but loved how she stayed true to herself, fighting for what she believed in. Unbeknownst to her, she is a fierce feminist.

With such a clever premise—cooking using chemistry, this book is sure to entertain as well as have you cheering for Elizabeth from start to finish. And of course, the loyal, trusty dog doesn’t hurt the storyline either. There is only one other book that I’ve ever read as quickly. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on this one!