“A masterpiece of political reporting” and an inspiring, astonishing biography of Joey Smallwood, a man who changed the face of Canada forever (Saturday Night).
In 1949, ten years before Alaska and Hawaii joined the United States, the dominion of Newfoundland was at a crossroads. Should they join as America’s 49th state, maintain ties with Great Britain, or join Canada?
Joey Smallwood, a well-known radio personality, writer and organizer, led a spirited campaign in favor of joining Canada. In a controversial vote, Newfoundlanders went with Smallwood, and the boundaries of Canada as we know them today were established. The first premier of Newfoundland, Smallwood continued in that position virtually unchallenged for twenty-three years.
A one-time pig farmer and ardent socialist-turned-union-buster, Smallwood’s political experience was checkered at best. But with insatiable ambition and unerring political instincts, he successfully imposed his will over compliant colleagues and weak opposition. Governing his island province with nearly despotic power and fostering corruption on a grand scale, Smallwood’s eventual fall from grace was an epic event in Canadian politics.
Taken from interviews with Smallwood himself, and with his subject’s approval, Richard Gwyn has crafted “a classic work of biography . . . as artfully told and as entertaining as most novels” (Wayne Johnston, author of The Colony of Unrequited Dreams).
