The story begins when Elizabeth searches for beakers in the lab of star chemist Calvin Evans, who right away assumes she’s a secretary. In science, though, a grad student typically goes straight for a doctorate, with the consolation prize of a “terminal masters” granted if she or he fails qualifying exams. A bit of context: In many fields, such as education, engineering, and social work, a master’s degree is an achievement. In 1956 Elizabeth Zott works at the Hastings Research Institute in Commons, California, “EZ” emblazoned on her lab coat. The tone continues the stereotypes that sent me running from the TV after just a few minutes of watching the Big Bang Theory – which well-meaning friends continue to recommend. But while the feminist message is obvious, the subtext simmers with a disturbing “othering” of scientists. The tale is hilarious, fast-paced, and expertly plotted. Executive Producer Brie Larson, of “Room” and “Captain Marvel” fame, stars as chemist-turned-TV-cook Elizabeth Zott. The book rocketed up the bestseller lists as soon as it debuted in March 2022, and Apple TV picked it up “straight-to-series” more than a year earlier. But the novel made me uncomfortable, because the travails of the protagonist ring disturbingly true.
I suspect the setting is unfamiliar to most readers. Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus, introduces readers to what it was like to be a woman pursuing a career as a research scientist circa 1960 – frustrating and at times absurd, even given the context of the times.
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