Nellie McClung
Charlotte Gray's biography of Nellie McClung, the leader of the first wave of Canadian feminism, has been called “an inspired pairing of tale and teller.” One of Penguin Canada 's Extraordinary Canadians series, this short biography is a warts-and-all look at the firebrand who helped get women the vote, participated in the Famous Five court case to secure the right for women to sit in the Senate, and championed the rights of immigrant women. McClung's wicked wit and strategic political sense helped shape the Canada of today. However, this slim volume is also an essay by a seasoned biographer on the nature of biography, the reliability of primary material, and the characteristics that define Canadian women today.