OCTOBER 2023 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS
Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus
“Rowing is always done backwards teaching us not to get ahead of ourselves.”
24 Bookers descended on the home of Jean Alexander, and we were delighted to welcome new members Kim Nalls and Jamie Stitt and re-welcome Rokhshie Malone who surprised us with a visit today. Sadly, we said farewell to one of our charter members, Pat Faherty, who with husband, Greg, is moving to Grapevine to be closer to family. Stories always end, but all of ours have been rewritten by our friendships and she will remain close to our hearts as the Faherty’s journey unfolds. Godspeed. You will be missed by many.
I would like to thank Melanie Prebis for loaning me a white lab coat so I could morph into Elizabeth Zott – in appearance at least – and deliver a first-person review of this month’s selection. New member, Barbara Kincaid, who could not be with us today was going to bring a copy of the Wall Street Journal from October 4th about 68-year-old Nobel Prize winner, Katalin Kariko, who spent more than two decades as a poorly supported researcher at the University of Pennsylvania where she was an adjunct professor. Prior to winning the Nobel Prize, the university had demoted her, cut her pay, and described her as “not of faculty quality” never granting her tenure. She was treated like Elizabeth Zott…at least until last week! Our timing of Lessons in Chemistry was spot on and that must mean the selection committee’s collection of shamrocks and rabbit’s feet along with a drop or two of my Irish heritage was working overtime.
When you think of chemistry do you think science or the emotional interaction between people? Of course, it means both as cited in this innovative, humorous, and somewhat odd novel by sixty-four-year-old copywriter, Bonnie Garmus, who after a horrible day at work, decided it was time Elizabeth Zott took over her life. She was also influenced by Betty Friedan’s 1963 classic, The Feminine Mystique in which the author described “the problem that has no name” – the widespread unhappiness of women in the 1950s and early 1960s.” She focused on the lives of several housewives from around the United States who felt cornered in the domestic sphere where their destinies were determined by beauty, charm, and sweetness.
This is a portrait of the 1960s – a timeframe with seatbeltless cars, when big wars were over and secret wars had just begun, a period also known as the “counterculture” decade that witnessed a revolution in social norms, some calling it one of irresponsible excess, flamboyant, the decay of social order, and the fall or relaxation of social taboos. Thirty-year-old Elizabeth Zott was a talented chemist, who did not understand why everyone just doesn’t read science books – they tell us how the world actually works at a molecular level which is basic to our understanding of what we are here for and how we live on this earth. She was forced out of her research job to become the reluctant star of a popular television cooking show – teaching her audience of housewives not how to make dinner, but how to change their lives.
Our youngsters here are not old enough to have experienced the work culture of the late 1950s and 1960s but how many of you worked outside the home in this era? Freud referred to this as “penis envy.”
A toxic environment was not uncommon in the male-dominated workplace – it was a mindset, a control mechanism used to degrade. I could have written a few of these chapters as my first job as a seventeen-year-old was a secretary to four loan officers of a national bank. I was naïve in the ways of the world and unfortunately subjected to inappropriate inuendoes which started as compliments about my skills and morphed into what I now realized as a sexual tension filled work environment led by the President of the bank. I don’t condone violence, but I wished I had known about the destructive nature of a number-two pencil.
So, let’s get on to this month’s book in the voice of the protagonist. (The complete review is attached to the email.)
I shared a favorite recipe of mine with you at the end of my story, but I moved it to the forefront as I think we all might be hungry for it. We’ll call it E.Z.’s life chemistry and please feel free to pass it along…no copyright issues to worry about!
Combine:
½ cup Family; ½ cup Friends; and ½ cup Faith
Add:
2 Tablespoons of Wellness with 2 Tablespoons of Laughter, 2 Tablespoons of Joy, and 2 Tablespoons of Generosity.
Make a crust ground from Love and pour all ingredients into a dish.
Bake on low for an eternity.
Enjoy!
Our discussion:
The majority read, finished, either liked or loved with probably a couple on the fence. We agreed it was a page turner with the characters coming to life and we connected to them hoping one would stop by for a cup of coffee or a cocktail. We talked about Elizabeth’s identity being tied to others until she became the host of Supper at Six – that was just Elizabeth, not the daughter of, or the sister of…just E.Z and we shared our personal experiences. Some remembered the “illogical art of female friendships” where girls would pinky-swear not to tell boy X that girl Z liked him only to be expected to run like the wind to share the news if you indeed valued the friendship. We discussed the relationship between Reverend Wakely (Harvard Divinity School) and Calvin Evans (Cambridge.) whose conversations were respectful of each other’s views on evidence-based science versus faith. They referred to how fables and fairy tales teach morality and pointed out that those messages were bite-sized – don’t be a jerk, don’t hurt animals or people, share with others – be nice. We talked about Elizabeth’s refusal to get married – she didn’t want to change her name and couldn’t understand why Calvin couldn’t be Calvin Zott instead of her being Elizabeth Evans – this subject fostering several real-life examples. A thumbnail sketch of Mad revealed her personality – adorable, brilliant, precocious, a pistol, a questioning mind, determined, resourceful – she could be one of those kids who graduates from college before she’s a teenager. Some were upset at how the teachers were represented – as Mad’s kindergarten teacher should have been encouraging Mad and her obvious brilliance instead of putting her in the “troublemaker” box. We talked about how Elizabeth’s story would be different if set today with numerous examples cited concerning this discrimination trend and the “good-ole’-boys” network concluding it has abated somewhat but certainly has not disappeared, some citing incidents in the 1980s and 2007. The rowing segments seemed to please many as most didn’t know anything about the graceful and grueling sport. We discussed the food aspect of the story, many commenting on the dynamics of cooking and baking and the symbolism – other than a weapon – of the # 2 pencil always present in Elizabeth’s hair or behind her ear. I asked if anyone knew what the pencil was a metaphor for to which one astute Booker claimed it represented the organ that differentiates a male from a female (I had to sanitize it for our minutes!) HA. Not quite as thought provoking is that the pencil was the ultimate metaphor for the trial-and-error process that is integral to learning. It has an eraser so when we make a mistake, we can correct it, learn from it, and start over. We discussed the characters and of course many loved Six-Thirty, the bomb-sniffing dog who was terrified of loud noises that found Elizabeth and immediately knew he had found a home. The author wanted him to be the voice from the other side of the animal kingdom commenting on us, loving us, but being kind of fed up with us. Neighbor Harriet Sloane was also a favorite as she realized Elizabeth was in over her head with the motherhood thing and assumed the role of confidant, caregiver, and everything in between. Walter Pine got my vote because the development of his character was a feel-good, rise to the occasion when everything was on the line, and found true happiness in the end. Dr. Mason was also a favorite by the way he calmly and adeptly handled Elizabeth during her pregnancy and after Mad was born…also making true on his promise one year from that day to get Elizabeth rowing again. We discussed how rowing was a metaphor for life – rowing is done backwards – teaching us not to get ahead of ourselves; It is the ultimate example of teamwork – no one person in the boat was more important than the others. We talked about Madeline’s family tree and why she felt the need to add an Egyptian queen, an American abolitionist, and a female aviator pilot along with an acorn labeled “fairy godmother.” One of the most prevalent themes in this novel was science versus the spiritual side – it was a clash of opinions creating conflict which is a necessary tool to flesh out the characters and foster conversation. Some felt the non-believers’ side pushed harder than that of the believers and it was a little off-putting and bothersome to some.
An interesting tidbit on Elizabeth’s pet research project – Abiogenesis – which is the technical term for spontaneous generation – the theory in short is that a flea could arise from dust or maggots from dead flesh. She was like a bloodhound on her way to solve one of the greatest chemical mysteries of all time – a process that might take 90 years to complete.
On the business side:
Please remember if you want to read the complete review it is attached to the email along with the list of upcoming books and host homes.
Many thanks to everyone who supported Bookish with our book orders. Jen was so grateful and wanted you all to know what a difference our generosity and support of the bookstore means. And we were able to place two more orders making our grand total 105!
Authors Jodi Picoult, John Grisham, Jonathan Franzen filed a lawsuit against OpenAI over the use of artificial intelligence. It will be interesting to see how this develops.
Don’t forget the Pinnacle Holiday Market to be held October 20th and 21st. Check Clubster for times. And, the Cedar Creek Garden Club is hosting their 3rd annual Cedars & Cinnamon Home Tour, December 2nd, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale at Tool City Hall and online at cedarcreekgardenclub.com/tour.
“Children set the table. Your mother needs a moment to herself.”
Happy Reading,
JoDee
