Lessons in Chemistry

Elizabeth Zott is my new hero. As a scientist in the 1960s, she has to contend with ingrained sexism not just in the world in general, but especially in the world of science, where her male colleagues routinely ask for her input yet never give her credit. Those same men relentlessly comment on her looks (yes, Zott rhymes with hot); then they fire her for being unmarried and pregnant. So, what does she do? She somehow stumbles into hosting a daytime cooking show on a local TV station. But she doesn’t pander to her audience of housewives. Oh, no. Instead, she teaches them science (using only the scientific words for, say, salt and vinegar, and explaining how different types of chemical bonds work in baking). And along the way, she ushers in a nationwide revolution of women standing up for themselves and their brains and their future. Throw in intense personal loss, a dog that understands and responds to hundreds of words (that dog deserves his own book, so I’m crossing my fingers for a sequel!), and a daughter who is beyond precocious, and you get a novel that is smart, funny, heartbreaking, maddening, and inspiring. And one that I just can’t stop thinking about. In fact, it’s my favorite novel from the past year.