Do not allow your talents to lie dormant ladies. Design your own future. When you go home today, ask yourself what you will change. And then get started” Most probably “on the spectrum” ( though this wasn’t recognized as such in the 1960’s) and most DEFINITELY ahead of her time, refusing to accept the status quo. In front of a live audience, Elizabeth uses her platform to not only teach women about the chemistry of cooking, but about life being more important than cooking! It's about following your dream of having a family and a career just like men do! Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist. Also, we are given information at the end that suggests there was a valid reason Elizabeth wasn’t accepted in the doctoral program, that had nothing to do with her gender or an incident that happened early in the book. This confused me?! What was the message? 🤷🏻‍♀️

During this 'hilarious' story, there is a brutal rape in chapter 3, death of a spouse, implied paedaphilia, abuse, abandonment, bullying, a second sexual assault and sexism. Again, I don't have a problem with the subject matter, I do have a problem with the execution of the subjects and the marketing of the book. Elizabeth Zott has a brilliant mind, so she believes but not a view shared by many men, except Calvin Evans. A man who has created his own rule book and because of his prized work is revered. Yet a man who shares Elizabeth’s passion for chemistry, igniting a romance and a discovery of soul mates that was not destined to last, when Calvin’s life was cut short prematurely. Elizabeth is a SCIENTIST, ergo she only thinks in LOGIC. She is actually a cyborg without feelings and without any idea of how human interactions work!! We know this based on how cringy every single interaction she has is!!! First of all this is described as "laugh out loud", it isn't. It's also described as being in the same vein as 'The Marvellous Mrs Maisel,' it isn't. Image: A mixed pair of rowers: students Jodie Cameron and Ryan Glymond at the 2021 British Championships ( Source)

Excerpt

In 1954, Roger Bannister ran a mile in less than 4 minutes. Two months later, two more people ran the mile in less than 4 minutes. Now, more than 1,700 people have run the mile in less than 4 minutes.

Elizabeth Zott is not your average person. She’s a brilliant, highly trained scientist who hasn’t gotten farther along in the world of chemistry simply because she’s a woman. She is working at the Hastings Institute performing a job that she is completely over qualified for! Although I was overall underwhelmed, I did enjoy the authors notes - (my absolute favorite part) - she almost sold me on how groundbreaking her book was. In my experience— I never had a problem. I wasn’t sexually harassed — nobody put their hand up my skirt unless I wanted them to . I was never patted on the head or belittle for being less than.So far this book is really amazing at about 40% of the way in. I'm really really loving it -- but then I also felt that way about Tomorrow, Tomorrow & Tomorrow so we shall see. Within 2 years, her show is a staple in every household, with those in the studio audience and at home taking notes -jotting down ingredients, recipes and chemical equations!