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NC Reads @ WFHM | Carolina Built
February 22, 2023 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
About NC Reads at the Wake Forest Historical Museum
North Carolina Reads is a statewide book club exploring issues of racial, social, and gender equality and the history and culture of North Carolina. North Carolina Humanities is a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. All five books chosen in 2023 pose critical questions about how North Carolinians view their role in helping to form a more just and inclusive society.
The Wake Forest Historical Museum is one of many community groups across North Carolina that host a local, on-site program of their own to accompany NC Humanities’ virtual events. Each month, we’ll meet at the museum to discuss a book and join people across the state in watching a live conversation with the author and subject-matter experts.
This is a great chance to meet neighbors who share your interest in the history and culture of North Carolina! At the heart of North Carolina Reads is NC Humanities’ desire to connect communities through shared reading experiences. Reading is important because it helps develop critical-thinking skills; strengthens minds, vocabulary, and mental health; and creates opportunities to empathize with others’ stories and experiences.
NC Humanities has graciously given the museum a very limited number of free books that will be available to participants. When registering please note if you would like to be considered for one of these books. Books can also be purchased from our local bookstore, Page158 Books, or checked out from Wake County Libraries.
If you have any questions, please email Sarah Soleim at soleims@wfu.edu.
February 22, 2023 | Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander
About the Book
Historical Fiction. A story based on Josephine N. Leary, a real-life American entrepreneur who was emancipated in 1865. Leary is determined to build a life of her own and a future for her family. When she moves to Edenton, North Carolina, from the plantation where she was born, she is free, newly married, and ready to follow her dreams.
“Based on the life of the awe-inspiring Josephine N. Leary, Kianna Alexander’s Carolina Built tells the previously untold story of the real estate luminary’s climb to freedom. Readers are invited to follow Leary after emancipation in North Carolina as she chases her dreams and equips herself with the tools she needs to be a successful businesswoman in real estate. Building a legacy becomes challenging amidst maintaining a marriage and caring for her daughters, but she pushes forward against all odds — as Black women remarkably do.” —Refinery29
“Incredibly well researched and filled with historical detail, Carolina Built is inspiring and relatable, and oftentimes humorous…. The author’s passion for telling Josephine’s story is evident in the pages, and I enjoyed learning about such a determined woman.” —Historical Novel Society
About the Meeting
Participants will meet at the Wake Forest Historical Museum on Wednesday, February 22, 2023. The live-streamed author conversation begins at 6:30 PM in the auditorium. After the live stream, museum staff will lead participants in a small group conversation about the book. Participants need not have finished the book to participate. Feel free to arrive early to visit with fellow readers or browse the exhibit gallery. Refreshments will be served.
How to Get a Copy of the Book
The museum has a very limited supply of free books for participants. Please indicate your interest in the book below.
Carolina Built is available through Wake County Public Libraries (WCPL).
Paperback and hardcover copies of Carolina Built can be purchased from Page 158 Books, our local bookstore. Please let the store know that you are participating in the museum’s book club to receive a special discount. If you are in the local area, the bookstore can deliver orders of $20 or more to these zip codes: 27587 and 27571. They also offer curbside pickup 11 am-6 pm Monday thru Saturday, and Books can be shipped to your home.
NC Reads at WFHM is supported by North Carolina Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, nchumanities.org.
Any views, findings, conclusions, opinions, or recommendations expressed do not necessarily represent those of NC Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.