BOOK CLUB Lessons in Chemistry

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is far from an ordinary woman. In fact, she would be the first to assert that there is no such thing as an average woman. Yet, in the early 1960s, her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute holds a notably unscientific perspective on equality—except for one member: Calvin Evans. He is a lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who finds himself captivated by—of all things—her intellect. A true spark of chemistry ignites.

However, much like science, life can be unpredictable. A few years later, Elizabeth Zott finds herself a single mother and the unexpected star of America’s most cherished cooking show, Supper at Six. Her unconventional approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon of acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) turns out to be revolutionary. But as her popularity grows, not everyone is pleased. Elizabeth Zott isn’t merely teaching women to cook; she’s challenging them to transform the status quo.