hear me roar

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Rating: 4.75 (out of 5)

Genre: historical fiction

Review: Being a chemist is not an easy thing for a woman to be in the '50s and '60s, and is maybe not all that easy now, although I imagine it would be easier if there really had been a woman like Elizabeth Zott to look the world straight in the eye, ask "Why not?" and refuse to take no for an answer.  Elizabeth is a chemist, and refuses to be treated like anything other than the serious scientist she is.

However, until Elizabeth can remake the world in her vision of gender equality, she must go on doing her television cooking show so that she can support herself and her daughter.  On Supper at Six, though, the cooking is a mere byproduct of the chemistry she's really teaching, and both cooking and chemistry are ancillary to the confidence she gives to the women across the country who tune in faithfully every weekday.

If this book has a flaw, it's that Elizabeth has one too many diatribes about the unfairness, nay, illogic, of keeping women out of the sciences.  Fortunately, Garmus has given Elizabeth such an authentic voice, and made her such a sympathetic character, that this reader, at least, was more than willing to make allowances.  And it's not just Elizabeth; Elizabeth has a support network par excellence, and each one contributes their unique voice to make this book a pleasure to read.

Garmus's debut effort is truly a wonderful book, and one that I'll be recommending for a long time.  I'm excited to see what she writes next.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

the perils of silence

Vox by Christina Dalcher
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Genre: science fiction
Review: Imagine that a new President has been elected with the help of the extreme Christian right.  So extreme, and so powerful, that they reverse over a hundred years of women's rights, and worse.  Women are limited to 100 words a day, enforced by a "bracelet" they wear that administers worsening electric shocks for every word over the limit.  Dalcher doesn't waste much time on the details of how this came about, which is fine, as they're largely beside the point for the purposes of her story.  But, every time I caught myself saying "this is just too unbelievable - that would never happen here," I reminded myself that that's been said by other people at other times and places in history, and it could, and it did.

As for this book, though, comparisons to The Handmaid's Tale are inevitbale, but Vox has a different ambition.  Dalcher doesn't pull her punches when it comes to the details of women's subjugation in the new regime, but the story focuses on a small group of people who suddenly realize that they can change everything.

Even that isn't the real point, though.  Dalcher also pulls no punches in getting her message across.  Everyone: use your voice.  While you still can.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.