I have an excellent book recommendation! Lessons in Chemistry has made quite an impression in 2022. It won 14 awards including the prestigious Barnes and Noble Book of the Year.  500k to 1 million books are published annually so winning that award is an astounding achievement. The range of emotion author Bonnie Garmus must feel from her enormous success with this one book must be off the charts. Oh, did I mention she’s a debut author?

Lessons In Chemistry is a historical-fiction novel that takes place in the 1960s. The protagonist is Elizabeth Zott. Stereotypically, women in this era were apron-donning housewives that baked cookies and met their working husbands at the door with a drink in hand. Not Elizabeth. She’s a chemist. She possesses confidence, and intelligence and is a sassy lady that broke the mold of the 60s.

Elizabeth wears many hats in her unconventional journey through life. Her experiences include working as a female research chemist in a seemingly all-male industry, being the girlfriend of a Nobel Prize-nominated scientist, and most interestingly, the host of a TV cooking show.

I can’t wait for you to meet her! She is a feminist with a bold personality. She believes that women should be equal to men in the workplace and doesn’t understand why they think they need a husband. 

You don’t have to enjoy science or be competent in chemistry to love this book. It’s a story that lends itself to women who like to challenge expectations and be heroic in their own minds.

Elizabeth’s personality is unparallel and you’ll also meet a host of other eccentric characters. One of my favorites, which was totally unexpected, is a four-legged friend with a peculiar name. He’s very loveable.

This book won awards and made it to the NYT Best Seller list for a reason. If I had to pick one word to describe it, it would be charming. Please do yourself a favor and read this! You might be adding it to the list of your favorite reads. 

Ms. Garmus, if you’re reading this, I’m a big fan!  I hope you’re deep into writing your next novel and I’m looking forward to what you create next!