When I first started reading Lab Girl, I could not help but notice
the similarities between my mother and Hope’s. Both had families relatively
young, got married, and one’s education was at a halt. For Hope’s mother,
though she was the smartest in her town, she was also the poorest. With a
family in tow, she did not have the opportunity to continue her education due
to financial circumstances until later in time. Although it was not her
mother’s intended path, she was able to receive a degree in literature. To some
extent, I can understand a mother’s desire for their children to become
successful in life and fulfill the dreams they did not have the opportunity to
do so. For Hope, I believe she wanted to fulfill her goal and be “a do-over to
make real the life that she [her mother] deserved and should have had.”(P.17) Now as a life-long source of inspiration, she therefore, dedicated Lab Girl to her mother. With Hope Jahren
attending college and later becoming a biogeochemist, she not only reached her
goal however, the goals her mother also had once intended. In addition, Hope also defied
all the odds and became a scientist in a male-dominant field.
During her time at the University
of Minnesota, she was also trying to make ends meet and worked multiple jobs in
order to pay off her tuition. Despite accepting a scholarship (the same
scholarship her mother had also once received), she knew it would not completely cover
her tuition costs. With determination, she endured it all and is now a
decorated and outstanding scientist.
To end, I also believe writing Lab Girl gave her purpose to apply her knowledge and experiences in
a much more significant and unique way rather than writing a textbook or doing a
research study. Something so personal and meaningful as to dedicate the entire book to her mother and calling it the most joyful work of her life.
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