📚 Books Like Lessons in Chemistry: Smart Feminist Fiction You’ll Love

Are you still think­ing about Eliz­a­beth Zott? Bon­nie Gar­mus’ break­out hit Lessons in Chem­istry is more than just a sto­ry — it’s a lit­er­ary spark ignit­ing con­ver­sa­tions about gen­der, sci­ence, and resilience.

If you loved the book’s mix of his­tor­i­cal fic­tion, intel­lec­tu­al empow­er­ment, and a bold female lead, you’re prob­a­bly ask­ing:

“What should I read next?”

You’re in the right place. Here’s a list of thought-pro­vok­ing, empow­er­ing nov­els — full of fierce women, bril­liant ideas, and sto­ries that stay with you.

💥 Why We Love Lessons in Chemistry

Before we dive in, let’s break down what made Lessons in Chem­istry so spe­cial:

• 🧪 A smart, sci­ence-lov­ing hero­ine who chal­lenges 1960s sex­ism.
• 🎙️ Sharp wit with emo­tion­al depth and social com­men­tary.
• 👩‍🔬 A sto­ry that blends heart, humor, and fem­i­nist pow­er.

The books below deliv­er all that — and more.

📖 1. The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict

👉 For fans of hid­den hero­ines and his­tor­i­cal injus­tice

What if Albert Einstein’s wife was just as bril­liant as he was — but his­to­ry for­got her?
This nov­el imag­ines the life of Mil­e­va Mar­ić, a gift­ed physi­cist whose con­tri­bu­tions may have been over­shad­owed.

Why Read It:
Like Eliz­a­beth Zott, Mil­e­va is bril­liant, under­es­ti­mat­ed, and fight­ing to be tak­en seri­ous­ly in a man’s world.

📖 2. The Power by Naomi Alderman

👉 For fans of fem­i­nist what-ifs and social exper­i­ments

Girls around the world sud­den­ly devel­op a mys­te­ri­ous pow­er — and the gen­der bal­ance shifts for­ev­er. Part dystopi­an fic­tion, part cul­tur­al cri­tique.

Why Read It:
It flips the script on patri­archy with the same rad­i­cal bold­ness Zott brings to sci­ence and TV.

📖 3. Circe by Madeline Miller

👉 For fans of lyri­cal writ­ing and mytho­log­i­cal fem­i­nism

A fresh take on the sto­ry of the infa­mous Greek witch, Circe turns a side­lined mytho­log­i­cal fig­ure into a full, pow­er­ful char­ac­ter.

Why Read It:
Circe carves out her own iden­ti­ty in a world that wants to silence her — just like Eliz­a­beth.

📖 4. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

👉 For fans of lan­guage, lega­cy, and women’s voic­es

Set dur­ing the cre­ation of the Oxford Eng­lish Dic­tio­nary, this nov­el fol­lows a girl who notices the absence of words impor­tant to women’s lives.

Why Read It:
It’s about reclaim­ing space — intel­lec­tu­al and emo­tion­al — that women have his­tor­i­cal­ly been denied.

📖 5. The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

👉 For fans of his­tor­i­cal sci­ence and char­ac­ter-dri­ven sto­ry­telling

Meet Alma Whit­tak­er: botanist, thinker, out­sider. Her life­long curios­i­ty takes her across the globe in pur­suit of knowl­edge and mean­ing.

Why Read It:
It’s a deeply immer­sive sto­ry of a woman ahead of her time — per­fect if you loved Zott’s sci­en­tif­ic pas­sion.

📖 6. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

👉 For fans of inter­sec­tion­al fem­i­nism and char­ac­ter webs

Twelve inter­con­nect­ed lives — most­ly Black British women — explore love, iden­ti­ty, gen­der, and belong­ing in con­tem­po­rary Britain.

Why Read It:
It broad­ens the con­ver­sa­tion Lessons in Chem­istry starts, bring­ing in diverse voic­es and mod­ern con­text.

📚 Bonus: Real-Life Zott-Like Reads (Nonfiction)

If you’re inter­est­ed in real women who changed the world of sci­ence and ideas, try:

• Hid­den Fig­ures by Mar­got Lee Shet­ter­ly
• Infe­ri­or by Angela Sai­ni
• Broad Band by Claire L. Evans

These are true sto­ries of female sci­en­tists, coders, and thinkers who broke bar­ri­ers — often qui­et­ly, but pow­er­ful­ly.

💡 What These Books All Have in Common

No mat­ter the genre, each of these books offers:

• ✅ Fierce, intel­li­gent women defy­ing norms
• ✅ Deep emo­tion­al and social themes
• ✅ A call to rethink what we’ve been taught

✨ Final Thoughts

Lessons in Chem­istry struck a nerve because it blend­ed brains with heart, humor with resis­tance. These books car­ry the same ener­gy. If you’re look­ing to stay inspired, keep ques­tion­ing norms, and cheer on bril­liant women — your next favorite read is wait­ing.

💬 What did you think of Lessons in Chemistry?

Have you read any of these titles — or have a sug­ges­tion to add? Drop your thoughts in the com­ments below!