The Last Carolina Girl

Leah is the novel’s first-person narrator and protagonist. Her experience reflects the plight of numerous victims of North Carolina’s historical eugenics program (See: Background). The story begins on Leah’s 14th birthday. She is slender and diminutive for her age, with ginger hair and striking green eyes. Leah appears to have undiagnosed epilepsy, with her describing her seizures as “spells.” While she eventually outgrows this condition in adulthood, Mrs. Griffin and Dr. Foster exploit her seizures to justify her sterilization without consent. Despite her academic struggles, Leah displays a profound affinity for the flora and fauna of her surroundings, alongside a natural aptitude for astronomy.

Following her father’s death and the destruction of her modest cottage, Leah embarks on a quest for belonging. Her odyssey through North Carolina is fraught with challenges: She finds herself exploited and abused by Mrs. Griffin—whom she later discovers is her aunt—with Mrs. Griffin using Leah as an unpaid maid. Mrs. Griffin’s abuse reaches a climax when she forces Leah to undergo sterilization without Leah’s knowledge or consent. Amid these profound conflicts, Leah remains steadfast in her moral integrity, finding contentment in a humble existence that cherishes the natural world and resists the allure of ambition.