JOEY: THE LIFE AND POLITICAL TIMES OF JOEY SMALLWOOD Harold Horwood Toronto, Stoddart, 1989. 348pp, cloth, $29.95 ISBN 0-7737-2293-9. CIP Grades 10 and up/Ages 15 and up Reviewed by Thomas F. Chambers. Volume 18 Number 3 1990 May Joey by Harold Horwood is a first-rate political biography. The author has an intimate knowledge of Newfoundland politics and of the career of Joey Small wood. This is not, however, another book that glorifies the career of a former politician. Horwood's Smallwood is a man with many admirable qualities, but also one with more than his share of human failings. We see a man really reduced to the bare essentials, who achieved great things with only average talents. Smallwood worked very hard to bring Newfoundland into Confederation in 1949, and he is justifiably called the last Father of Confederation. Horwood was also deeply involved with Smallwood, in what can only be described as an epic struggle. Newfoundlanders seem to take their politics far more seriously than other Canadians. It is very partisan in nature. The forces opposing Newfoundland's joining Canada were almost as powerful as those who wanted it to join. As a result, Smallwood was almost lynched on two occasions. The retelling of this kind of incident makes the book very interesting indeed. Newfoundland politics in the hands of Harold Horwood is a fascinating subject, and one any student of Canadian politics will enjoy. Horwood is a masterful writer. His study is, however, very detailed. Although many of the facts included are important, some of them could have been left out without harming the story. Thomas F. Chambers, Canadore College of Applied Arts and Technology, North Bay, Ont.