When author Charlotte Gray arrived in Canada from Britain in 1979, she was struck by the self-assurance of many Canadian women. After researching the life of Prairie activist Nellie McClung, Gray sees that confidence as a legacy of McClung's achievements. Born in 1873, McClung helped win the vote for women and, as a member of the Famous Five, the right of women to be considered "persons" and to be entitled to sit in the federal senate. McClung's convictions and her campaigns, fought with zesty humour, helped shape the country. A Western populist, she embodied the values that still characterize Canadafaith in government, a collective commitment to social programs. Eminent biographer Charlotte Gray brings Nellie to vivid life, illustrating why she mattered then, and why she matters now. .