Burdens

 Thank God, I'm here and now, not living during the times of the novel, The Calamity Club by Kathern Stockett. The depression era was hard, but the degradation Blacks, women, children, and those intellectually challenged, had to endure, broke my heart.  

The story in The Calamity Club tells it all.  The limited job opportunities, women had no choice, but to accept.  How orphans were treated. How Blacks were treated.  And I learned a new vocabulary word--miscegenation.  

Miscegenation: Derived from Latin miscere ("to mix") and genus ("race"); historically used in laws banning interracial marriage

The story begins with a little girl, Meg, being left alone.  Her mother didn't come home.  Eventually, she is sent to an orphanage, that must have been inspired by Charles Dickens.  The people in that town, the boss lady, Garnett, volunteers, Birdie and Frances, and the people who eventually adopt Meg, are all unforgettable people.  I loved all the characters.

In fact, I love everything about the book.