Thursday, October 8, 2026

October

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, 2026

A great story with great, memorable characters and laugh out loud moments. Similar to Stockett's The Help, the setting is in the South, a few decades earlier in the 1930s during the Great Depression. 

Meg is an 11-year-old orphan at thr Lafayette County Orphan Asylum for Girls in Oxford, MS who deals with the torment of Garnett, the director of the Orphanage.

One of the women volunteers is Frances, who is from small town Footely, MS and is in Oxford after marrying the wealthy Rory Tartt. Her sister Birdie is sent to visit her sister despite not having met her sister's husband or family before.

Due to great calamity caused by misfortunes, we are introduced to memorable female characters including Pripp, Charlie, Mrs. Tartt, Flossy, Ruby, and Esmeralda.

We are also transported to the world of the Heidelbergs who have managed to keep their fortune during the Depression. There is Tom and Lucille Heidelberg and the matriarch of the family Mrs. Heidelberg. 

The 600+ pages went by quickly. A few anachronism (like the mention of diabetes while mentioning the richness of Southern food) irked me, but overall, a pleasurable read.

Up Space: he Unprecendted AOC by The Editors of New York Magazine, 2022

I have heard about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - who hasn't when you can go by initials? 

I did not know the history of her being selected by Bernie Sander's Justice Democrats to run for office after her brother had nominated her.

A fierce, intelligent quick-thinking woman who is good with the clapback - or dunks - she has made a name for herself with her insightful and cutting remarks. She puts things in perspective.

When she is called a f-ing bitch to reports on the steps of the capitol by a fellow Congressman, she states that she has been called that many times and the insult itself did not bother her. 

What bothered her was the fact that when the Senator apologized, he stated that he had wives and daughters so could not possibly mean harm.

Hiding behind a wife and daughter, AOC noted, is what irked her. Having a wife can still mean you mistreat woman. Calling another woman a f-ing bitch opens the door for other people to use this langage against his own daughters, much like he did to her (late) father's daughter.

So true! With the DEI work that I was involved in, so many men pointed out that they supported a level playing field for women because they had daughters. Having a daughter does not mean you do not have unconscious biases against women.

Learning more about AOC and her policies, I found myself aligned with her vision - New Green Deal, social equality, lessesning the gap between the (obscenely) wealthy and well, everyone else.

The format is interesting. A bit like Choose Your Own Adventure where the initial biography links back to a previously written article that goes more in-depth about a particular topic. This format seems fitting for the candiate who uses Twitter to gain & grow her voice and popularity.

AOC may have inspired me to get more involved with politics again...