We Can Change Anything: A Guest Post by Bonnie Garmus
All’s fair in love and chemistry. It’s 1960s California and there are certain things that women just don’t do. When scientist Elizabeth Zott finds herself the host of a television cooking show, she kicks off a revolution that does more than just challenge the status quo. Read on for an exclusive essay from 2022 B&N Book of the Year author Bonnie Garmus on Lessons in Chemistry.
Paperback $19.00
Lessons in Chemistry (B&N Exclusive Edition)
Lessons in Chemistry (B&N Exclusive Edition)
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Paperback $19.00
Meet Elizabeth Zott: “a gifted research chemist, absurdly self-assured and immune to social convention” (The Washington Post) in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show.
Meet Elizabeth Zott: “a gifted research chemist, absurdly self-assured and immune to social convention” (The Washington Post) in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show.
When I first conceived of Elizabeth Zott, I had no idea her fight against misogyny would rocket around the world. But it has and because of it, I’ve had the privilege of talking to people in nearly every corner of the globe about ways to end culture-based bias against women. This bias, which comes from the same poisonous well that brings us racism, gender politics, and violent religious platforms, is mighty, but it is also drainable. Lessons in Chemistry is the story of one woman who did just that.
For me, personally, it’s been a shockingly busy three years of travel, events, interviews, speeches, DMs, podcasts, and interviews; of talking, not just about feminism, but also about animal intelligence, humanism, chemistry, rowing, and the power of persistence. The only time I find myself worrying a little is when people also want to talk to me about cooking—or worse, cook with them! Because the truth is, I am not a great cook. Nor am I chemist. But I am a huge fan of both, and I’m committed to doing what they these pros do every day, which is to change things from one form to something new. The truth is, our world is a chemical one. We, ourselves, are chemical beings. We can, by definition, change anything. It takes exactly two ingredients: commitment and fearlessness.
In December of 2022, Barnes and Noble made Lessons in the Chemistry their Book of the Year. And now, sporting a brand-new cover and extra content, they’ve made it their April 2025 Paperback Pick of the Month. To say I’m lucky and grateful is the understatement of several years. So, thanks, Barnes and Noble, for your unflagging faith in me, and a huge hello and welcome to all the new readers about to discover Elizabeth Zott for the very first time.
I hope you laugh with her, cry for her, learn from her, and be inspired by her. But most of all, I hope you’ll act when she insists “Now, let’s get started.”
