Lessons in life

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is set during the 1960s, a decade of transition, as threatened and insecure men are intent on putting smart, ambitious women “in their place.”

Elizabeth Zott is a talented chemist who abandons her doctoral studies after a rape and works in a lab where she is underpaid and regularly sexually harassed. There is no point in complaining to human resources, and Elizabeth can only assume that “it took a certain type of skill to be able to say exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time.” 

The company’s top chemist, Calvin Evans, quickly identifies her intelligence and falls in love. The two are soulmates, setting aside their histories of childhood neglect, regular misunderstanding and loneliness as adults, to focus on goals and work. 

But competition among researchers is brutal with constant innovation required. Jealousy brews among mediocre colleagues, who resist giving Elizabeth credit for her ideas and meanly suggest she dates Calvin only to boost her career. 

An untimely accident, pregnancy and theft of her research by a superior eventually force Elizabeth to leave and she turns to hosting a television cooking show. She despises the job, but her scientific take is wildly popular, advising viewers that chemistry is change. “Whenever you start doubting yourself… whenever you feel afraid, just remember. Courage is the root of change – and change is what we’re chemically designed to do. So when you wake up tomorrow, make this pledge. No more holding yourself back. No more subscribing to others’ opinions of what you can and cannot achieve. And no more allowing anyone to pigeonhole you into useless categories of sex, race, economic status, and religion.... Design your own future.”  

The research institute limps along without Elizabeth and Calvin, and the PhD who relies on her research cannot explain the science. Donors “realized they were in the presence of a scientific idiot. Hastings was rife with them. No surprise. Idiots make it into every company. They tend to interview well.”  

Too many leaders rely on stereotypes for detecting talent. Colleagues dismiss any notion that Elizabeth might offer useful innovations or research. The scientist, intent on evidence, proof and truth, must acknowledge that “our society is based largely on myth, that our culture, religion, and politics have a way of distorting the truth.” Likewise, a journalist who profiles Elizabeth must put his article aside because editors insist that readers want “sleaze.” 

Elizabeth and her daughter are smart, candid and funny. Both are assertive, willing to speak up for themselves, but they also learn to “pick their battles” in a world that is slowly and grudgingly beginning to respect women's capabilities. “Often the best way to deal with the bad," Elizabeth explains to Madeline. “Is to turn it on end – use it as a strength, refuse to allow the bad thing to define you.”