The one that I just finished that I really enjoyed was “An Immense World” by Ed Yong. And I really liked a lot of writers in that area. Margaret Atwood is one of my most favorite writers. What authors and books inspire you and your work?Ī. And so when I was writing the book, it became clear that if we applied the laws of chemistry to our daily lives, this would be a very different place that we live in. And it is the laws of chemistry, in my opinion, basically rule the earth. But it also made me realize what scientists mean when they say chemistry is a central science, because it does impact every other science. It gave me a lot of respect for the science of chemistry and how much you can teach yourself. Yeah, I felt like I needed to do that to understand a little more. You would actually try some of the experiments yourself?Ī. And then I had checked by two PhD women chemists. The experiments are pretty dramatic, and I know that better than anyone because I started a few major fires in my flat. I also used “The Children’s Golden Book of Experiments.” They took it off the market, in the early 60s, because kids were blowing themselves up. It’s very hard to Google accurate old science, especially old chemistry, because chemistry is always evolving. I bought a chemistry textbook off of eBay because I needed to write old science. How much scientific research went into the novel?Ī.

I knew she’d get in trouble, and she did.

to write a character who says, “I don’t accept that,” in that time period. Elizabeth being a rationalist stands out and seems almost unusual or odd, because she believes that we should live with facts instead of fantasy.

You simply say, “Well, wait a minute, I’m not sure that’s how it actually works.” And so I think she was fun to write, for me, because we live in a very irrational world. You don’t immediately bend over for culture. You question nearly everything, you believe in the scientific method. And if you are a true rationalist, then you don’t accept culture as it comes to you. How is she able to say exactly what she thinks, especially in the time period of the book?Ī. It’s a huge club of people who have had to put up with a lot in their lives. Elizabeth represents not just women, but people who feel that they are missing out on things because they’re neurodiverse or genderfluid or people of color. I wanted to write a woman who would say what I want to say - or what a diverse number of people who feel marginalized or passed over, walked on. Do you know someone like her in real life?Ī.

Lessons in chemistry by bonnie garmus