Historical Fiction · Free kit
The Calamity Club
Oxford, Mississippi, 1933. Eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur scrapes by at the county orphan asylum under a cruel chairlady’s thumb. Unmarried bookkeeper Birdie Calhoun arrives seeking help from her socialite sister — and finds a town of secrets, hypocrisy, and women with almost no good options. When their fates converge with Charlie, Meg’s fierce mother, an audacious plan is born: reclaim what’s theirs, even if calamity is the only way forward.
“If you give a girl a taste of fresh air and then take it away, she will grow fierce and wild to get that fresh air back again.”
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Plan your meeting
The Calamity Club Icebreakers
Answer in under 30 seconds. These connect to the book’s themes without spoiling the story.
Personality Reveal
1. Are you more of a peacemaker or a truth-teller?
Personality Reveal
2. Do you trust your gut or overthink everything?
Personality Reveal
3. Are you loyal to people, places, or principles?
Funny & Light
4. What’s a “fancy” thing you do that’s actually pretty low-effort?
Funny & Light
5. What’s your go-to snack when you need an emotional reset?
Funny & Light
6. What’s something you pretend to be an expert on?
Would You Rather
7. Would you rather live in a big city or a small town?
Would You Rather
8. Would you rather have all the time in the world or all the money in the world?
Would You Rather
9. Would you rather say what you think or always keep the peace?
Hot Take
10. Finish this sentence: The older I get, the more I believe that…
Hot Take
11. Pineapple on pizza: yes, no, or only if nobody’s watching?
Hot Take
12. Cancel culture: necessary tool or going too far?
Personal Connection
13. What’s something you’re proud of that most people don’t know?
Personal Connection
14. What’s a friendship that changed your life?
Personal Connection
15. What’s one thing you’re hoping to do more of this year?