Girls Don’t Lay Bricks
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley May 13, 2020
Author Casey Mackinlay
Distributor: Woodslane
ISBN: 9780648541585
Publisher: The Promotions Company
Release Date: January 2020
Website: https://www.woodslane.com.au
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Girls Don’t Lay Bricks: well, guess what, girls do lay bricks and girls do succeed at what they set out to achieve when they have ambition, a serious determination to make the best of the hand life has dealt them:. Accepting the very real challenge of bringing up a baby in a world that tries to make this very difficult for single, teen mothers, Casey Mackinlay slowly found her way from a struggling young mother to a successful CEO by the age of twenty-five. This is her story.
Casey Mackinlay always pushed the boundaries in high school; she was always accepting of a challenge, made her own rules, starting her own business at the age of 15 years old, when she decided host a year 10 formal for her school friends , just not at her school; an event that was very successful and one set the pathway for her future.
Always one to do things differently, she took up a bricklaying apprenticeship, loving the work, loving the challenge of being a girl in a man’s world; a man’s world of hard work, with respect earned and not given.
Understanding at an early age that to give back was something that should be done, she volunteered for an overseas trip to Uganda where she helped build a brick classroom in Watoto Village and realised she had a very fortunate, blessed life in Australia.
At the same time, she was entering a relationship which was to eventually become abusive, controlling and destructive. It also gave her, her beloved son Kingsley, the result of an unexpected pregnancy at the age of 19 years.
Struggling to hold a destructive relationship together, she eventually realised all that was happening was she was slowly becoming more and more depressed, holding out little hope that she has any sort of future, let alone the successful one she eventually created through hard work, determination and a refusal to give in or give up.
Mackinlay shares her story in a no holds barred style, which while confrontational at times, sets out in plain English that no mater what life holds for you, or the challenges that are often placed in the way, everyone can, with courage and determination succeed at what they choose to undertake. She addresses the issues faced by many young mothers, shares tips on her lessons learned, offers guidance and most importantly hope, for anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation.