Bonnie Garmus

This book is a second-wave feminist's dream. Elizabeth Zott is a self-taught expert in basically all scientific fields. It feels like the author forgot unremarkable women also deserve places in STEM, so she created a character who is beyond extraordinary. In her spare time, Zott also advocates for feminism, gay rights, body positivity, atheism (for some reason), and civil rights (though she worships biology/medicine without acknowledging the harm her precious science has caused to BIPOC people, especially BIPOC women). Since the characters in the story are not particularly diverse, much of Zott's advocacy is mere lip service. She seems like a perfect modern feminist, but with the book set in 1960, she feels unrelatable and anachronistic. It's possible to enjoy the story by suspending disbelief, treating Zott like a magical fantasy, but I don't recommend it to those seeking nuanced or accurate takes on feminism, religion, science, etc.… (plus d'informations)

This book has absolutely no business being as good as it is! Snarky, smart, and absolutely full of wit, I was laughing along with the story (when I wasn’t busy being furious at the idiocy of the patriarchy) from page one. The story purports to be the tale of a housewife turned chemist turned tv show host, but realistically it is a treatise on feminism and the way that women have railed against the system that seeks to control them even from stereotypically mid-century modern America. Those of us who know, are well aware that women are just as smart as men and when we put our minds to it there’s not much that can get in our way, so when we see a protagonist like Elizabeth Zott we can’t help but instantly buy into her story and her struggle. As Elizabeth seeks to find a place in the scientific community, we also see her find love, struggle through loss, and reinvent herself multiple times over. Not to over-quote a cliché, but you definitely can’t keep a good woman down, and it’s impossible not to cheer as we see Elizabeth triumph - slowly at first, and then in a series of wonderful landslides that starts with her brandishing a knife and giving her tv show boss a heart attack (I literally shrieked with glee) and culminates with her taking over the research lab that treated her poorly before firing her. Elizabeth may have had to fight for what she believes in (and we’re sure that she’ll have to continue fighting as the years go on), but this book is a lovely spark of culinary and chemical delight. Will it cause a chain reaction in readers (as Elizabeth’s fictional tv show did for her viewers) and reignite women’s passion for themselves and their accomplishments? Here’s hoping!… (plus d'informations)