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, fuelled 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.
Staff Choice: Júlia
Feel good story about female chemist who refuses to obey social conventions in the early 1960s.
She is fearless, independent, smart and confident. And she is the TV star in a cooking show (with a little dash of chemistry).
I loved this book!
Staff Choice: Sophie
Elizabeth Zott is a chemist. But it is 1951, and women who are chemists are laughed at, ignored, belittled, and worse.
Part feminist rage story, part love story, part parent-child relationship story, part unexpected friends and family story - this book, like the best mixtures, has a little bit of everything, and the sum is greater than its parts. It is filled with memorable characters (both good and vile)(also, who doesn't love an intelligent dog?), and I love the belief Zott has in people and their ability to be more and do more than what a restrictive culture has decided is possible. I laughed and cried, and I was angry and vindicated and humbled.
Highly recommended; I couldn't stop reading it.