Lessons in Chemistry

Bonnie Garmus published her debut novel, Lessons in Chemistry, on the cusp of 65.

It was a global sensation, of course, and the copywriter, who had a previous manuscript rejected by publishers 98 times, sold 7 million copies and enjoyed being a co-executive producer when the book was made into an eight-part streaming hit starring Brie Larson.

Now, she has a new novel, Peck and Peck, which explores, through a delightfully named young man, Batto Gray, the themes of art in a time of pragmatism and empathy in a world bursting with technology.

Was it this routine that provided the inspiration for the book?

Really, it was my unhappiness at that time with technology.

And this is way back, like I was saying, this is before lessons in chemistry.

I'd had this idea for Peck and Peck that there would be, I was having kind of a reckoning with my career.

And it felt like technology was moving in the wrong direction when I had first started writing in the technology space for advertising.

It sold over eight million copies, spent nearly two years on the New York Times bestseller list, and was translated into more than 40 languages before being adapted into an eight-part TV show for Apple.

That book was Lessons in Chemistry, whose protagonist was the fearlessly forthright Elizabeth Zott, a chemistry whiz turned 1950s TV cooking star.

But while Lessons in Chemistry was Garmus' first published novel, it was not the first she had written.

An earlier attempt was rejected by 98 agents.

Nor was novelist her first career.

[laughs]

Yes, exactly.

Lessons in Chemistry in many ways was a clarion call for the importance of science, and Peck & Peck does the same thing, but for the arts.

And then book ups dates.

I finally read Lessons in Chemistry.

It was a show I had watched a year or two ago.

I really enjoyed it.

September 22nd.

So what's your last one? Okay, so my last pick is Peck and Peck by Bonnie Girmas, the number one best-selling author of Global Sensation, Lessons in Chemistry, returns with an irresistible, delightful, and tender story about a young man whose life turns upside down when he is hired by the most prestigious, secretive, and dysfunctional poetry journal in the world.

So it's more about like the literary world, the publishing world.

And oh my gosh, Lessons in Chemistry was such a good read and so interesting.

And so is the series with Brie Larson really brought the book to life.

So I'm excited about that read as well.

Since you seem to like behind-the-scenes stuff, I'll share with you that I have twice in my career played a city council person.

The other show was Lessons in Chemistry.

Both shows, which were not related in any way, used the same Masonic temple meeting hall in Silver Lake as their location for the city council meeting shoot.

I was amused by that." So that's so cute to be a city council person-

It was insane.

Uh, one, one note they didn't have this in there, and I could not recommend this show more, um, from a couple of years ago, Lessons in Chemistry.

Hmm.

One season.

That obviously I didn't read 'cause I'm not very bright.

[laughs]

But I afterwards found out how popular Lessons in Chemistry is as a book.

Yeah.

blunder, so it's not technically part of the rage bait roundup this week, but it is a great segue to my rage bait.

which is i'm reading this book called lessons in chemistry which was one of like the top books of the year i think a couple years ago and i just had never read it but it's about this female chemist in the 1960s and she is just constantly subjected to aggressive sexism and i'm getting so raged reading the book and i know that it's a fictional story and the times are very different now but just seeing the way that she was never respected or like given a fair shot in the workplace and like underpaid and like fired because she was pregnant and like all this stuff it's just like it's just it's getting me so rich thinking about the dynamics that used to exist between like males and females

And what's crazy is to me, like used to exist, you would assume we're talking, you know, multiple centuries ago.

Like it's just, it's not that long ago, which is the craziest part.

But I like things like...

Lessons in chemistry.

I enjoy that.

I enjoyed what was that one firefly lane.

I'm into that.

I'm not into horror.

I'm not into any of that stuff, but I enjoy things like lessons in chemistry.

I like smart shows more than dumb shows.

Before we get into your book, I want to talk a little bit about the experiences that you've had.

Bonnie Garmis introduced many of us to rowing in Lessons in Chemistry, the novel and then the great series.

How were you introduced to rowing and what was it that kept those oars in your hands?

Great question.

Like if you miss a stroke, everyone knows the coxswain absolutely can see it's the coxswain's responsibility to, you know, stay on you and make sure that you're keeping up and it's in their power or encouraged to tell you you know adjust your handle whatever it is like they are the one like look so that's where the ego person gets to sit The ego – I would say – so you might have heard this book.

This has been kind of mentioned by other like rowing media.

But like if you've seen like The Boys in the Boat or even maybe in Lessons in Chemistry, I think Bonnie might have written about it a bit.

Every seat in the boat has its own personality.