'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Saturday, 30 May 2020

Review: Girls Don't Lay Bricks

Girls Don’t Lay Bricks is an inspiring personal story that displays a variety of winning mindsets. In particular, how nurturing a strong belief in one’s self, combined with the ability to think outside the square, can open up endless possibilities in life.

Casey Mackinlay was thirteen when the need for pocket money initiated her first business venture, a hair-cutting service at school. Later, she converted a school project into a money-making Year Ten Formal – within school guidelines, of course!

Casey has lived with a strong belief that when she set her mind to something, she could find a way to see it through. Recognising she was not academically minded like her siblings, her parents agreed to a TAFE course. There she took on a trade – bricklaying, and finished her High School year.

The building site she joined was all male. No favours were shown to her. Casey won the admiration of her workmates because of her grit and determination. With this skill, she travelled to Uganda to build classrooms for the children. This experience also opened up her world.

Still a teenager, she became pregnant and was forced to change her career in order to keep her baby. This created an income stream with a work ethic to be envied by every successful entrepreneur.

This is an uplifting autobiography, proving that regardless of age, opportunity can be found by those who dare to carve a path for themselves in life. It’s a book full of strength and hope, imagination and putting dreams into practice.

The tone of the book is very reflective and the layout designed to accommodate boxes of good advice on having direction and purpose in life. It is geared toward young people who fail to see all that’s available to them in a Universe that caters for everyone.

The narrative encourages, motivates and advises how to avoid pitfalls by making careful and substantiated decisions. At the end of each chapter, there is a frame of Reflections pertaining to Life, Personal and Relationship issues. These are put forward from lessons learnt from Casey’s experiences, failures and successes, in a light, conversational way.

Title: Girls Don’t Lay Bricks
Author: Casey Mackinlay
Publisher: Quikmark Media, $19.95
Publication Date: January 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780648541585
For ages: 13+
Type: Autobiography