Carolina Built
Carolina Built is the nearly forgotten story of entrepreneur Josephine Leary and her desire and perseverance to create a life of her own. From her young years following the emancipation of North Carolina in 1863, to later falling in love and her first land purchase, we get an honest and spirited peek into Josephine’s everyday struggles to balance the family she loves with her aspirations of becoming a real estate businesswoman. Facing challenges with hope and determination, Josephine builds her legacy one property, and brick, at a time.
Incredibly well researched and filled with historical detail, Carolina Built is inspiring and relatable, and oftentimes humorous. The chapters are short but character-driven, moving us deftly through Josephine’s early life, to meeting her husband, Sweety, and giving birth to their children. Both barbers by trade, Josephine and Sweety have their share of marital disagreements—namely about how she uses her money to purchase properties and renovate buildings, a thing frowned upon for women, especially Black women—and I was a bit nervous for their relationship.
But Josephine’s grace and tenacity define her as she copes with disappointments in her career and navigates the demands of a growing and changing family. Overcoming numerous setbacks and frightening moments, she also finds triumphs in her journey. The author’s passion for telling Josephine’s story is evident in the pages, and I enjoyed learning about such a determined woman.
