by Doris Betts
First published 2007
North Carolina's historical record has long overlooked the women who shaped the state. Authors Margaret Supplee Smith and Emily Herring Wilson correct this omission by documenting women's lives from early Native American settlements through World War II. The book spans all 100 counties and examines how gender, race, class, religion, and geography created diverse experiences for women across centuries. Twenty-two biographical portraits illuminate individual stories, from Cherokee leader Nanye'hi and pioneer Rebecca Bryan Boone to modern figures like scholar-priest Pauli Murray and activist Gladys Avery Tillett. The authors argue that women's contributions, though often confined to family and community spheres, proved essential in developing the state's character, economy, and values. Over 200 photographs and historical documents support the narrative. This comprehensive study offers readers both broad historical analysis and detailed personal accounts that reveal the complexity of women's roles in North Carolina's development.
Genres: history, 20th-century, gender-studies, biography-memoir, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, historical-fiction
Setting: North Carolina
Period: Early Native American Settlements, World War II
Paperback · Univ of North Carolina Pr