The Six and Twenty Book Club met at the First Christian Church on March 22. Patti Cook was the program leader for the day.
Cook began the program by introducing the book she is passing to the group this year, “Lessons in Chemistry,” by Bonnie Garmus. The book is this author’s debut novel, and was on the NYT bestseller list in the historical fiction category in April 2022, and ran for 38 weeks on the list. On Oct. 13, 2023, the TV adaptation premiered on Apple TV Plus with eight episodes and starring Oscar winner Brie Larson.
The story is about a female research scientist whose passion for chemistry is part of her DNA. She is portrayed as a female STEM character who works with an all-male team at a research facility in southern California during the 1950’s and 1960’s. In meetings with her male colleagues, her opinions never matter because she is viewed as a lab assistant instead of the brilliant scientist she really is.
We learned that in 1987, Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month in perpetuity. Since then, a special presidential proclamation is issued every year which honors the extraordinary achievements of women. The 2024 theme recognizes that, despite progress, women still face significant obstacles to achieve equal participation in the economy and calls for ensuring equal opportunity for women and girls to build their capabilities and strengthen their capacity to learn, earn, and lead.
A lively discussion followed the program, and we all agreed that though we have come a long way, it seems that women and girls are still fighting for equality in not just the scientific field, but also in many arenas of life where we are still often challenged with sexism and misogyny by some of our male colleagues. Current research for women in STEM in 2024 tells us that only about 30 percent of females share in the male dominated STEM field.
The club was honored to receive a note from the book’s author, Bonnie Garmus. She praised our book club for being an ongoing reading group for the last 125 years. She closed her message to us with the following thought, “Whatever you dream of doing, start today. It’s never too late. If you start today you will be in all new territory within a year. And if you don’t know how to start, don’t worry – go to the library – that’s where they keep all the answers. You have one life. Make it the way you want it to be. Recommit.”
Karen Buckley was the hostess for the afternoon, and she invited everyone to a beautifully decorated tea table with spring daffodils centered in a gorgeous royal blue vase. Everyone enjoyed mini cheesecakes topped with fresh fruit, assorted nuts and candy, and pink lemonade.
