Author explains how a workplace sexism incident sparked the inspiration for her best-selling novel

Authors often transform personal experiences, emotions, and observations into powerful stories. They turn life's challenges into captivating narratives, proving that personal struggles can inspire extraordinary storytelling. For instance, bestselling American author Bonnie Garmus (@bonnie_garmus_author) drew on her experiences with workplace sexism to create "Lessons in Chemistry." In a candid interview with ABC iview (@abciview), she shared how a particular workplace experience sparked the initial inspiration for her bestselling novel, motivating her to channel her emotions into the book’s first chapter.

"I was a creative director and a copywriter and I was in a meeting at work. I was once again the only woman in the room," Garmus recalled. "This has happened countless times in my career. I just finished presenting ideas for a major campaign. This campaign was going to be well over $ 1 million. After I finished presenting all of my ideas, no one said anything." At first, Garmus thought her ideas hadn’t been well-received. However, the way things unfolded next left her stunned and extremely angry.

"There was a man in the room that day. I did not recognize him and he kind of shifted in his chair and he said, 'You know what I think? I don't think we should do that and what I was thinking is that we should do the following,'" Garmus recounted. "He read my PowerPoint slide. He claimed all of these ideas as his own. But the worst part is all of the men in the room told him he was brilliant." Garmus, frustrated, immediately protested, but no one paid attention. "Everyone just talked over me. It was as if I didn’t exist," she added.

As if the situation wasn’t humiliating enough, after the meeting ended, someone reminded Garmus about the work she still needed to finish by 5 p.m. "I stomped back to my desk and instead of writing that thing that was due at five, I wrote the first chapter of 'Lessons in Chemistry,'" she said. "Lessons in Chemistry" has since been adapted into an Apple TV+ drama series starring Academy Award-winner Brie Larson. Upon sharing Garmus' story, the room erupted in cheers, applauding her for rising above her bitter experiences. The story resonated with many professionals, especially women with similar experiences of dealing with sexism in workplaces.

@lafrangipanette wrote, "I was in the room when something just like this happened to another woman. I called it out and the squirming was a joy to behold. Afterward, I was called to the CEO’s office and told to ‘never do that again’. I ignored that." @susantropeano commented, "This exact thing happened to me. Except I didn’t go back to my desk and write a book. I had actually asked a male colleague to present the same thing. Later I asked my boss why he approved the plan when my colleague presented it but not when I presented it. He said, 'You presented that?' It was then that I realized that when I spoke, as the only woman in the room, the men weren’t listening at all." @rachelryan wrote, "How many of us recall saying 'that’s what I just said' or 'that’s what I’ve been saying for months?'"

You can follow ABC iview (@abciview) for more such intriguing celebrity interviews and Bonnie Garmus (@bonnie_garmus_author) for more updates on her books.