Book Of The Month for January and February was Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. For online Book Clubbers there are some questions below for you to get involved with. Either answer in the comments section or use as discussion points at your next Book Club. If you haven’t read the book check out the Lowdown all about it here.
Lessons in Chemistry – the blurb
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing.
But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute take a very unscientific view of equality. Forced to resign, she reluctantly signs on as the host of a cooking show, Supper at Six. But her revolutionary approach to cooking, fueled by scientific and rational commentary, grabs the attention of a nation.
Soon, a legion of overlooked housewives find themselves daring to change the status quo. One molecule at a time.
Discussion Points
The following are written with the presumption you have read Lessons in Chemistry. If you haven’t, bookmark the post and come back to answer the questions later.
- Do you think you would enjoy watching Elizabeth’s cooking show?
- In what ways have attitudes towards women moved on since the 1960s? Do we now live in an equal society?
- The men stifling the women in the book were often ‘nasty’ (the university lecturer, the TV big boss) but in what other ways were women stifled, silenced, discriminated against in the book? Was it just by men?
- There were a few ‘misunderstandings’ in the book which lead characters down the wrong path. In what ways would Elizabeth’s life be different if these hadn’t happened?
- Do you think at the end of the book Elizabeth is finally able to find happiness? Do you see any future between her and Wakely or are they just friends?
Get Involved
Feel free to answer as many of the questions as you want. Post your replies below, discuss with us on social media using @BookSocialUK, or pose some questions of your own. If you enjoyed the questions, have a go at previous month’s Get Involved: Taste.