This biography examines the life of the Third World leader, Eugenia Charles, from her middle-class childhood in colonial Dominica and legal training in London through her entry into her island's turbulent politics in 1968. Elected prime minister in 1980, Charles survived two coups during her first year in office and drew worldwide attention when she stood at Ronald Reagan's side at a White House press conference to defend the Grenada invasion. Charles' domestic programme, which stresses free enterprise and fiscal integrity, has centred on getting her island onto its feet after years of economic troubles. She has drawn praise from international aid donors, but considerable opposition at home. Her Dominica Freedom Party was re-elected with diminishing margins in 1985 and 1990. They call her Mamo, Lady Dracula, Danger Lady, and Iron Lady of the Caribbean. One of a handful of women who hold their country's top elected office and the only one who is black, Charles is an ardent feminist who never married and simply refuses to defer to men. To those who criticize her leadership style, she says, This is a political party, not a birthday party.