At the mid-point of the 20th century Joey Smallwood led Newfoundland into Confederation. For this act, he is both worshipped and reviled. This compelling biography explores the public and private sides of the man who held onto power for 23 years. One of 13 children of an alcoholic father, Joey Smallwood dropped out of high school to try his hand at a number of business ventures - all of them unsuccessful. As an impoverished child, he vowed to become a world leader and would later resolve to push Newfoundland out of poverty - and into history.