Bonnie Garmus author of Lessons In Chemistry

The Merry Menopause Bookclub

What better way to finish off season six of The Merry Menopause Bookclub Podcast than with Bonnie Garmus author of The Sunday Times No 1 Bestseller “Lessons in Chemistry”

Bonnie and I connected on Instagram where I was raving about Lessons in Chemistry, It is one of my favourite reads this year so far and I was delighted Bonnie said yes to being my guest.

Lessons In Chemistry is about a woman named Elizabeth Zott, a fictional chemist in late 50s early 60s America. She gets fired from her research job for the crime of being unwed and pregnant and as things get a little tight money wise she accepts a job as a TV cooking show host. Most of us would consider it a job to kill for, but Elizabeth Zott doesn't want the job at all. So instead of teaching straight-up cooking, she ends up teaching the nation chemistry - because cooking is chemistry. And as she does so she ends up teaching women what they are made of at a molecular level and she ends up changing a nation because of it.

Join us as we discuss:-

• Sexual assault in the workplace - 1:6 American women experience it.
• How the character of Elizabeth Zott came into being.
• How a bad day at work inspired Bonnie to write the first chapter of Lessons in Chemistry.
• Bonnie dedicates the book to her incredible mum and I find out why.
• How the ‘The Average Housewives” of the 50s raised a generation of feminists.
• Why Elizabeth Zott is a role model for Bonnie and the joy of creating and writing her.
• Elizabeth Zott’s rich backstory - depression and loneliness.
• How so many men are totally unaware of the misogyny and sexual assault that happens in the workplace.
• How can we make sure we have allies in men at work and at home.
• The awareness of women’s rights issues that Lessons in Chemistry has raised amongst its male readers.
• A sneak preview of Bonnie’s next book!

Bonnie’s Book Choices:-

The Anthropocene - John Green

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Rachel Joyce
Find out more about Bonnie and her work here

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