Kathryn Stockett releases historical novel The Calamity Club

The Calamity Club is a historical fiction novel by Kathryn Stockett, set in Oxford, Mississippi, during the Great Depression in 1933. The narrative follows the lives of Meg Lefleur, an 11-year-old girl living in an orphanage, and Birdie Calhoun, a 24-year-old woman facing poverty in the Mississippi Delta.

Meg has experienced neglect and abuse at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum and is seeking reunification with her mother, Charlie, who was recently released from prison. Meanwhile, Birdie travels to Oxford to seek financial assistance from her sister, Frances, only to discover that her sister's wealthy banking family is also facing imminent foreclosure due to the economic hardships of the era.