David Baldacci - What is a Calamity of Souls

Upstart Crow

David Baldacci – What is A Calamity of Souls?

The title of his most autobiographical novel occurred to David Baldacci the day he penned the first words. And it was literally penned—he started the book in a blank notebook his wife gave him on Christmas Day, 2011. He wrote that title and about 150 pages. He wasn’t even sure himself what the phrase a calamity of souls meant. He set it aside. Several years and novels later, he came back to this unfinished work. In the swirling events of 2020, he picked up the manuscript to finish it and ready the book for publication.In this episode of Upstart Crow, David joins host William Miller to talk about this novel, how it connects to and springs from his own life.

This hugely successful writer talks candidly and quite personally about his youth in the Richmond, Va., area, examples of racism he has witnessed, and, in very personal terms, what it was like to be among the busloads of White children bused to a formerly all-Black school in order to achieve integration some 20 years after the U.S. Supreme Court first ruled for it in its landmark Brown decision. He speaks of the confusion, the uncertainty—the fights he got into nearly every day. Why he set the novel in 1968. And the connection between this novel and his reading of James Baldwin while he wrote it.

David Baldacci is a global number-one bestselling novelist who began scribbling stories as a child in a notebook his mother gave him to keep him engaged and quiet, in order to give herself a break. Now, his total number of works is quickly approaching 60 titles, which have sold more than 150 million copies, in more than 45 languages, in more than 80 countries. His books have been turned into feature films as well as television adaptations.

He and his wife have cofounded the Wish You Well Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America—reading being an activity that he believes builds empathy and enriches the lives of those who practice it.

He lives in his native Virginia, where he graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia Law School, two noteworthy public institutions. He was a practicing lawyer with a DC firm before beginning his career as a writer.

“I've always thought that books were body armor against bigotry.” — David Baldacci

#DavidBaldacciInterview

#ACalamityOfSouls

#BooksAgainstBigotry

Where to Buy David Baldacci’s Books:

A Calamity of Souls on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Calamity-Souls-David-Baldacci/dp/1538750634

David Baldacci’s full catalog on Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores):

https://bookshop.org/contributors/david-baldacci

All titles by David Baldacci on Barnes & Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/contributor/david-baldacci/_/N-2k0b

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