Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: To anyone who finds strength in the stories of resilient and unwavering women.

Being a woman in 2025 is hard, but being a working woman in the 1960s was harder.

Bonnie Garmus’s debut novel, “Lessons in Chemistry,” made a lasting impression on readers with a story that is both fierce and funny. 

The book was a New York Times and international bestseller. It was also awarded the 2022 Barnes & Noble Book of the Year and the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards — Best Debut.

In an interview with The Guardian, Garmus recounted the story of how “Lessons in Chemistry” came to be.

She started drafting the novel after a frustrating work experience, when she delivered a presentation to a room full of male colleagues and received no reaction to her pitch. 

Just minutes later, one of her male colleagues essentially recited her pitch and was met with congratulatory cheers for a great campaign idea.

“It was smart to write when I was so angry,” Garmus said. “All of my life I’ve encountered sexism, but that day I really felt like if I hadn’t been a woman it wouldn’t have happened. I decided to write my own role model. What would she have done in that situation?”

And thus, Elizabeth Zott took the position of Garmus’s role model and became the titular character of “Lessons in Chemistry.”

The novel follows Zott, a talented female scientist forced to endure a misogynistic work environment, all while trying to get ahead in her field. Garmus takes the reader through an emotional journey detailing the trials and tribulations of Zott’s life. She delivers the story with satirical humor, detached bluntness, and a refreshingly feminist attitude.

At work, Zott experiences sexual harassment, misogyny from her peers — both men and women alike — and unjust academic conduct from a colleague who takes credit for her work. 

She is subsequently fired for becoming pregnant while she was unmarried. She switches career paths and becomes one of the most beloved TV personalities, after being thrust into the spotlight against her will.

Zott’s ability to roll with the punches is astounding, if not a bit concerning. She remains undeterred and faces her problems with spirit and determination. In a time where women were confined to being homemakers and mothers, she advocated for equal treatment and lived her truth.

Garmus is able to make readers sympathize with issues that were prevalent 60 years ago but still resonate with people today. “Lessons in Chemistry” is witty, shrewd, and ingenious; it is delivered with authenticity and realness.

The novel has also been adapted for the screen, with Apple TV launching a drama.