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Man of Tomorrow: The Relentless Life of Jerry Brown
Visionary. Iconoclast. Political Survivor. "A powerful and entertaining look" (Governor Gavin Newsom) at the extraordinary life and political career of Governor Jerry Brown.
Jerry Brown is no ordinary politician. Like his state, he is eclectic, brilliant, unpredictable and sometimes weird. And, as with so much that California invents and exports, Brown's life story reveals a great deal about this country.
With the exclusive cooperation of Governor Brown himself, Jim Newton has written the definitive account of Jerry Brown's life. The son of Pat Brown, who served as governor of California through the 1960s, Jerry would extend and also radically alter the legacy of his father through his own service in the governor's mansion. As governor, first in the 1970s and then again, 28 years later in his remarkable return to power, Jerry Brown would propound an alternative menu of American values: the restoration of the California economy while balancing the state budget, leadership in the international campaign to combat climate change and the aggressive defense of California's immigrants, no matter by which route they arrived. It was a blend of compassion, far-sightedness and pragmatism that the nation would be wise to consider.
The story of Jerry Brown's life is in many ways the story of California and how it became the largest economy in the United States. Man of Tomorrow traces the blueprint of Jerry Brown's off beat risk-taking: equal parts fiscal conservatism and social progressivism. Jim Newton also reveals another side of Jerry Brown, the once-promising presidential candidate whose defeat on the national stage did nothing to diminish the scale of his political, intellectual and spiritual ambitions.
To the same degree that California represents the future of America, Jim Newton's account of Jerry Brown's life offers a new way of understanding how politics works today and how it could work in the future.
Jerry Brown is no ordinary politician. Like his state, he is eclectic, brilliant, unpredictable and sometimes weird. And, as with so much that California invents and exports, Brown's life story reveals a great deal about this country.
With the exclusive cooperation of Governor Brown himself, Jim Newton has written the definitive account of Jerry Brown's life. The son of Pat Brown, who served as governor of California through the 1960s, Jerry would extend and also radically alter the legacy of his father through his own service in the governor's mansion. As governor, first in the 1970s and then again, 28 years later in his remarkable return to power, Jerry Brown would propound an alternative menu of American values: the restoration of the California economy while balancing the state budget, leadership in the international campaign to combat climate change and the aggressive defense of California's immigrants, no matter by which route they arrived. It was a blend of compassion, far-sightedness and pragmatism that the nation would be wise to consider.
The story of Jerry Brown's life is in many ways the story of California and how it became the largest economy in the United States. Man of Tomorrow traces the blueprint of Jerry Brown's off beat risk-taking: equal parts fiscal conservatism and social progressivism. Jim Newton also reveals another side of Jerry Brown, the once-promising presidential candidate whose defeat on the national stage did nothing to diminish the scale of his political, intellectual and spiritual ambitions.
To the same degree that California represents the future of America, Jim Newton's account of Jerry Brown's life offers a new way of understanding how politics works today and how it could work in the future.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2020
42 people are currently reading
1386 people want to read
About the author
Jim Newton
28 books45 followersJim Newton is editor at large of the Los Angeles Times and writes a weekly column for the Op-Ed page on the policy and politics of Southern California.
Newton came to the Los Angeles Times in 1989, having previously worked as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and as a clerk at the New York Times, where he served as columnist James Reston's assistant from 1985-86. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the recipient of numerous local and national awards. He was part of the Los Angeles Times' coverage of the Los Angeles riots in 1992 and the earthquake of 1994, both of which were awarded Pulitzer Prizes to the staff.
Newton also is the author of two critically acclaimed, best-selling biographies, "Justice for All: Earl Warren and the Nation He Made," and "Eisenhower: The White House Years."
Newton came to the Los Angeles Times in 1989, having previously worked as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and as a clerk at the New York Times, where he served as columnist James Reston's assistant from 1985-86. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the recipient of numerous local and national awards. He was part of the Los Angeles Times' coverage of the Los Angeles riots in 1992 and the earthquake of 1994, both of which were awarded Pulitzer Prizes to the staff.
Newton also is the author of two critically acclaimed, best-selling biographies, "Justice for All: Earl Warren and the Nation He Made," and "Eisenhower: The White House Years."
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July 15, 2020
For nearly half a century, Jerry Brown has confounded the people of California with the contradictions rooted so deeply in his personality. We’ve long known that it would be simplistic to pigeonhole him as either liberal or conservative. But the inconsistencies are more profound than that. Throughout his many years in public office, he felt “tugged between life as a politician and life as a monk.” Longtime Los Angeles Times reporter and editor Jim Newton emphasizes that dichotomy in his superb new biography, Man of Tomorrow.
Growing up in a shadow
The son of a beloved two-term governor, Brown languished in his father’s shadow for many years even after gaining statewide office himself. After all, Pat Brown (1905-96) was one of the state’s all-time most popular governors and had left a legacy that was hard to ignore. He had built the California State Water Project and set in motion the state’s Master Plan for Higher Education that launched the University of California on a course to become the world’s most outstanding public university.
Rejecting his father’s profession and ill-suited for the gregariousness he thought politics required, Brown set out as an adult to enter the priesthood. However, after three years in a Jesuit seminary, he opted instead for a secular life, gaining a bachelor’s from UC Berkeley and a law degree from Yale. And at the age of thirty-two, with Ronald Reagan in the Governor’s Mansion and Richard Nixon in the White House, he ran for Secretary of State, and won. It would seem he had resolved the tension between the twin attractions of the monastery and public life. But had he?
A rare intellectual in high public office
Rarely does democracy elevate intellectuals to high public office. In fact, no American politicians come readily to mind except Jerry Brown. And Man of Tomorrow delves as deeply into his intellectual evolution as it does to the sources and consequences of the policies he pursued. Throughout the book, Newton explores the chief intellectual influences that have led Brown to be who he is and act how he does:
** Priest and theologian Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), founder of the Jesuits
** German economist E. F. Schumacher (1911-77), best known as the author of Small Is Beautiful
** Austrian Roman Catholic priest and philosopher Ivan Illich (1926-2002), whose most influential book was Deschooling Society
** English-American anthropologist Gregory Bateson (1904-80), best remembered for Steps to an Ecology of Mind
** Zen Buddhism
Brown didn’t just read the books—he lived the ideas. And some of these thought leaders became personal friends with whom he spent hours discussing ideas, Schumacher, Illich, and Bateson in particular.
“The earth’s most prominent defender”
The man’s contradictions aside, Jerry Brown has proven to be one of this state’s, and the nation’s, most accomplished governors. In his four terms in office—1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019—he brought about campaign finance reform, extended the collective bargaining rights of farm laborers and state employees, diversified the judiciary and state government, supported the rise of Silicon Valley, implemented aggressive efforts to protect the state’s air and water, and restored the state to fiscal health in the face of severe economic (and political) headwinds. Yet a broader view of the man’s evolution yields a more meaningful assessment than merely reciting a litany of his policies.
“He took office as a young maverick interested in solar energy and space exploration,” Newton writes. “By the time he finished, he would be recognized around the world as the most prominent defender of the earth itself.” Given the public’s notoriously short attention span, that assessment may no longer be accurate, but it surely was true during the final years of Brown’s time in office.
In a review in the Washington Post, UC Berkeley history professor Mark Brilliant emphasizes Newton’s recognition of Brown’s prescience. The biographer had pointed to Brown’s “‘far-flung and significant’ policies, practices and positions” that justify the title of his book. But is (or was) Jerry Brown a “Man of Tomorrow?” Certainly, his far-sighted concern about the consequences of global climate change and his affinity for solar energy, space travel, and the technology spawned by Silicon Valley would suggest as much. Yet it remains to be seen from the perspective of future historians how well Jerry Brown’s leadership will be viewed once all of us now alive have passed from the scene. Perhaps no American governor who fails to rise to the presidency can expect to be remembered half a century or more after leaving office. And if that’s the case, perhaps it only brings into high relief Jerry Brown’s abiding search for deeper meaning in the ideas that guided his life.
About the author
For decades, Jim Newton worked at the Los Angeles Times as variously a reporter, editor, columnist, bureau chief, and editorial page editor. He now teaches at UCLA. Newton is also the author of well-received biographies of Dwight Eisenhower and Earl Warren, and he collaborated with former CIA director and defense secretary Leon Panetta on his memoir.
Growing up in a shadow
The son of a beloved two-term governor, Brown languished in his father’s shadow for many years even after gaining statewide office himself. After all, Pat Brown (1905-96) was one of the state’s all-time most popular governors and had left a legacy that was hard to ignore. He had built the California State Water Project and set in motion the state’s Master Plan for Higher Education that launched the University of California on a course to become the world’s most outstanding public university.
Rejecting his father’s profession and ill-suited for the gregariousness he thought politics required, Brown set out as an adult to enter the priesthood. However, after three years in a Jesuit seminary, he opted instead for a secular life, gaining a bachelor’s from UC Berkeley and a law degree from Yale. And at the age of thirty-two, with Ronald Reagan in the Governor’s Mansion and Richard Nixon in the White House, he ran for Secretary of State, and won. It would seem he had resolved the tension between the twin attractions of the monastery and public life. But had he?
A rare intellectual in high public office
Rarely does democracy elevate intellectuals to high public office. In fact, no American politicians come readily to mind except Jerry Brown. And Man of Tomorrow delves as deeply into his intellectual evolution as it does to the sources and consequences of the policies he pursued. Throughout the book, Newton explores the chief intellectual influences that have led Brown to be who he is and act how he does:
** Priest and theologian Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), founder of the Jesuits
** German economist E. F. Schumacher (1911-77), best known as the author of Small Is Beautiful
** Austrian Roman Catholic priest and philosopher Ivan Illich (1926-2002), whose most influential book was Deschooling Society
** English-American anthropologist Gregory Bateson (1904-80), best remembered for Steps to an Ecology of Mind
** Zen Buddhism
Brown didn’t just read the books—he lived the ideas. And some of these thought leaders became personal friends with whom he spent hours discussing ideas, Schumacher, Illich, and Bateson in particular.
“The earth’s most prominent defender”
The man’s contradictions aside, Jerry Brown has proven to be one of this state’s, and the nation’s, most accomplished governors. In his four terms in office—1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019—he brought about campaign finance reform, extended the collective bargaining rights of farm laborers and state employees, diversified the judiciary and state government, supported the rise of Silicon Valley, implemented aggressive efforts to protect the state’s air and water, and restored the state to fiscal health in the face of severe economic (and political) headwinds. Yet a broader view of the man’s evolution yields a more meaningful assessment than merely reciting a litany of his policies.
“He took office as a young maverick interested in solar energy and space exploration,” Newton writes. “By the time he finished, he would be recognized around the world as the most prominent defender of the earth itself.” Given the public’s notoriously short attention span, that assessment may no longer be accurate, but it surely was true during the final years of Brown’s time in office.
In a review in the Washington Post, UC Berkeley history professor Mark Brilliant emphasizes Newton’s recognition of Brown’s prescience. The biographer had pointed to Brown’s “‘far-flung and significant’ policies, practices and positions” that justify the title of his book. But is (or was) Jerry Brown a “Man of Tomorrow?” Certainly, his far-sighted concern about the consequences of global climate change and his affinity for solar energy, space travel, and the technology spawned by Silicon Valley would suggest as much. Yet it remains to be seen from the perspective of future historians how well Jerry Brown’s leadership will be viewed once all of us now alive have passed from the scene. Perhaps no American governor who fails to rise to the presidency can expect to be remembered half a century or more after leaving office. And if that’s the case, perhaps it only brings into high relief Jerry Brown’s abiding search for deeper meaning in the ideas that guided his life.
About the author
For decades, Jim Newton worked at the Los Angeles Times as variously a reporter, editor, columnist, bureau chief, and editorial page editor. He now teaches at UCLA. Newton is also the author of well-received biographies of Dwight Eisenhower and Earl Warren, and he collaborated with former CIA director and defense secretary Leon Panetta on his memoir.
August 16, 2020
What a life and what a man. We are truly blessed to have him as governor many times over. A great politician who cares about people and makes decision based on moral values rather then by greed, selfish ambition and the market. Idiosyncratic is definitely the right adjective for Jerry Brown! I wonder how this nation would be like if he had won one of his presidential races. Sigh. I’m glad we had him as long as we did and that he sets a great example to aspire future politician.
November 9, 2021
This is a tremendous book about California's history under the Brown governorship, Jerry's and his father, Pat. We see what shaped Jerry and turned him into his own man and not just a carbon copy of his father. You get the sense that Brown cares about the things the average Californian does, yet, you still see him make choices that might be better for his political career than the good of the state. Newton's book is well-written, honest, and intriguing.
June 14, 2020
This is the most tedious political biography I have ever read. It was so uninteresting that about three-quarters of the way through, I started wondering (purely for narrative purposes and not due to any dislike for the man) if Brown might die in some tragic way before the end and make things more interesting. But no, the subject is still with us and might do all sorts of things worthy of note yet (although the writer has clearly written him off as too old.) Biographies are best written when the subject has shuffled off this mortal coil, obviously.
I received an ARC of this book free from the publisher for review.
I received an ARC of this book free from the publisher for review.
May 29, 2020
I'm not sure where I got the idea to read this book but I'm glad I did. I have been a Californian for 50 years and this book pretty much covers those 50 years. Newton the author in speaking with Kevin Starr who wrote many books on California history said he did not want to cover the era of the hippies and counterculture so Newton takes it on here. So much has happened in California in those 50 years, things that I lived through and had kind of forgotten such as The People's Temple (it wasn't really Kool-Aid they drank!), the medfly invasion (agriculture versus environmentalists and what were we living here in the Bay Area exposed to with the spraying by helicopter that Brown reluctantly agreed to after President Reagan threatened to quarantine the entire state), HIV and AIDS with its connections to the current period of living during an epidemic as well as gay marriage.
Jerry Brown is the son of a governor who served as governor himself in the 1970's and again in this century. Jerry Brown was the youngest governor to serve California and the oldest. He also took office following 2 Republican actors (Reagan and Schwarzenegger). In between his stints as governor he was mayor of Oakland.
"The job of mayor is concrete. Politics at this level is not abstract. His experience had been one of remove rather than engagement. Part of Brown wanted to be President (he ran 4 times) and another part wanted to be a monk (he spent 3 years in seminary in the 1950's). Being mayor was perfect, now he was a parish priest."
When Brown returned to the governorship in 2010 he returned with "a bushel of experiences. He was a married man, one who had learned to trust another person deeply and lastingly. He had been a mayor and worked on issues as they manifested themselves in the lives of people, rather than as they affected interest groups or voting blocks. Jerry Brown in 2011 had dogs. He was no longer an abstraction; he was, at last, a rounded and complete person." He was 72 years old and had 40 years of experience.
"Connecting his two times as governor across decades were "strong threads: environmental protection, fiscal responsibility, commitments to diversity and fresh thinking. At the end of the Brown years, California stood apart from and ahead of much of the nation that contained it California in 2019 was more prosperous and more protective of the environment, more welcoming of immigrants, and more generous with its protections and benefits than most parts of the US. It demonstrated that a place--a very big and diverse place--could be all those things at once. Jerry Brown was instrumental in that."
It was interesting to see how Reagan handled the AIDS epidemic as we now see how Trump handles the Covid-19 virus. The first AIDS cases came out in 1981. Reagan did not mention AIDS until 1987. In that time there were 270 cases and 121 deaths in 1981 and by 1987 the US had 82,362 cases and 6l,816 deaths. "Reagan could have altered the course of this decimating epidemic: he instead CHOSE POLITICS OVER COMPASSION." Not much has changed with Republican presidents!
Toward the end of Brown's last term as governor the subject of euthanasia came up. When asked Brown said, "I don't know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain. I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill. AND I WOULDN'T DENY THAT RIGHT TO OTHERS." This is the real gist of the social laws like abortion, gay marriage and euthanasia, you may not need them for yourself but you should never deny that right to others.
"Jerry Brown brought his searching restless intellect to the questions of human existence. He governed less by polls than by conviction that great questions--prudence, humility, justice and mercy--demand rigorous exploration. He was completely his own person.
Jerry Brown is the son of a governor who served as governor himself in the 1970's and again in this century. Jerry Brown was the youngest governor to serve California and the oldest. He also took office following 2 Republican actors (Reagan and Schwarzenegger). In between his stints as governor he was mayor of Oakland.
"The job of mayor is concrete. Politics at this level is not abstract. His experience had been one of remove rather than engagement. Part of Brown wanted to be President (he ran 4 times) and another part wanted to be a monk (he spent 3 years in seminary in the 1950's). Being mayor was perfect, now he was a parish priest."
When Brown returned to the governorship in 2010 he returned with "a bushel of experiences. He was a married man, one who had learned to trust another person deeply and lastingly. He had been a mayor and worked on issues as they manifested themselves in the lives of people, rather than as they affected interest groups or voting blocks. Jerry Brown in 2011 had dogs. He was no longer an abstraction; he was, at last, a rounded and complete person." He was 72 years old and had 40 years of experience.
"Connecting his two times as governor across decades were "strong threads: environmental protection, fiscal responsibility, commitments to diversity and fresh thinking. At the end of the Brown years, California stood apart from and ahead of much of the nation that contained it California in 2019 was more prosperous and more protective of the environment, more welcoming of immigrants, and more generous with its protections and benefits than most parts of the US. It demonstrated that a place--a very big and diverse place--could be all those things at once. Jerry Brown was instrumental in that."
It was interesting to see how Reagan handled the AIDS epidemic as we now see how Trump handles the Covid-19 virus. The first AIDS cases came out in 1981. Reagan did not mention AIDS until 1987. In that time there were 270 cases and 121 deaths in 1981 and by 1987 the US had 82,362 cases and 6l,816 deaths. "Reagan could have altered the course of this decimating epidemic: he instead CHOSE POLITICS OVER COMPASSION." Not much has changed with Republican presidents!
Toward the end of Brown's last term as governor the subject of euthanasia came up. When asked Brown said, "I don't know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain. I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill. AND I WOULDN'T DENY THAT RIGHT TO OTHERS." This is the real gist of the social laws like abortion, gay marriage and euthanasia, you may not need them for yourself but you should never deny that right to others.
"Jerry Brown brought his searching restless intellect to the questions of human existence. He governed less by polls than by conviction that great questions--prudence, humility, justice and mercy--demand rigorous exploration. He was completely his own person.
May 6, 2020
Author Jim Newton does an excellent job of painting a portrait of the California that defined and created Jerry Brown in this noteworthy biography. MAN OF TOMORROW does a good job of placing Brown within his environment and essential influences. Brown has always been a difficult character to know: equal parts quixotic idealist and unbelievably pragmatic. This is a good California political history book for any reader. I received my copy from thepublisher through NetGalley.
October 5, 2022
Ver few politicians in America get second chances. Ironically, Jerry Brown falls into the lucky few who have, alongside Richard Nixon, another California politician who placed ambition and chicanery above the public good. Jim Newton's "Man of Tomorrow" shows how different Jerry Brown is from the likes of Nixon, or even your average politician. Imbued with a Jesuitical streak, Zen philosophy, and ability to find the center in California politics, Brown emerges as one of the few truly great fixers in modern American history. With California on the brink of financial crisis and government sidelined by the tax-cutting Propositions of past years, Brown roars back into office as governor for terms number three and four, passing an increase in taxes and mustering a healthy rainy day fund that has served California well under the Gavin Newsom administration.
Americans love a fresh face in politics; Jerry Brown proves that such an inclination is not only wrong, but deprives government of expertise and experience to get through tough times.
Americans love a fresh face in politics; Jerry Brown proves that such an inclination is not only wrong, but deprives government of expertise and experience to get through tough times.
May 26, 2020
The book serves as a dual biography/political history of California from around 1950 onward. Fantastic insights into a truly enigmatic figure who has been on the national stage for the last 50 years. The author clearly has high regard for Brown, though I wish he had gone in more depth at certain points (his relationship with Barzaghi or his time as mayor of Oakland, for example). Would recommend for anyone interested in Brown himself or the evolution of California in the 20th century.
November 24, 2020
This book was a real treat to read. So many of the events Jim Newton has captured within it are things that I remember, some from my childhood, some from my young adult hood, and some from my later years.
Two things stand out in my own memory of the years of Jerry Brown, but they are not the only ones. One is the Guyana Jonestown massacre and the other is the encounter that I had with Brown in an airport when I was flying back to El Salvador.
The Jonestown event gripped the attention of all those from the Bay Area because Leo Ryan was the congressman from a local district, actually the one in which Gaga and Grandaddy lived. Ryan’s death there in Jonestown and the number of young people who had abandoned their parents, gone down there to follow that crazy man, and ultimately died made it immensely personal. So many of the cultural catch-phrases that we use today spring from those events - among them drinking the Kool-aid.
It was 1995, I think, when I met Brown in the airport. Transferring to a connecting fight, I sat for a while in the waiting area, watching him and finally got up the courage to go and talk to him. I knew he had spoken out on the issue of underaged labor in overseas factories making garments for U.S. markets. The news about Kathy Lee Griffith’s use of Honduran factories was very much on everyone’s mind. But the photos that had been shown on television were actually pictures of El Salvador. I remember telling Brown about my distress that those photographs of workers who were, in fact, more than 16 should be used to try the case in the media. I knew they were over 16 because I had visited those factories and checked on that very point! He was interested; he took notes; and while I don’t know what he did with that information I do know that it gave me personal satisfaction to be able to correct the record on that point.
Newton also mentions the Patty Hearst kidnapping, Angela Davis, and the controversial Rose Bird. (It’s funny; I can’t say I ever understood WHY she was so controversial until now!) the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill I definitely remember. Either Grandma or Mama and Papa had taken us down south and we were swimming at Seal Beach; the oil deposits ruined my new two-piece bathing suit!
I also didn’t realize that Brown was both the youngest AND the oldest of California’s governors. Newton does a good job of capturing his youthful zeal, coupled with his inexperience and his unwillingness to be viewed in his father’s shadow. Then later he casts Brown as the more experienced, but still innovative leader in those recent terms.
Here I will quote a section from the author himself:
Newton uses Reinhold Niebuhr’s serenity prayer as the explanation of the dichotomy in Brown’s life between “do what you were doing,” and “live in the inquiry.” He did have the serenity to accept the things he could not change, the courage to change the things he could, and usually the wisdom to know the difference. When Brown was “doing what he was doing,” he was accepting; when he was campaigning and leading, he was practicing the courage of his convictions. He was often seeking wisdom.
To put all this in another way, Nathan Gardell’s observation about his friend seems fitting as well. Brown, he said, seemed torn between wanting to be a monk and wanting to be president. That’s why Gardell saw the Oakland mayoralty is such a good fit for Brown. It positioned him as a parish priest with both spiritual and earthly obligations.
Brown did not see himself as a rebel leader, but Trump’s victory ensured that his final years in office would take on that cast, as California happily announced itself as the center of the resistance to Washington. Like it or not. Brown, at age 78, became the leader of that resistance, the intellectual and spiritual head of a government in exile, one that was accepting of immigrants, generous with healthcare, admiring of science, awed by nature, respectful of God. By 2016, it had become the fifth largest economy in the world, and Brown, once destined for the priesthood, stood atop it.
Returning to my own voice: one of the things I remember from my very first Foreign Service oral exam is using Brown’s call for California to launch a spacecraft as an example of its importance and prominent role in world affairs. Clearly the men giving me the test weren’t as impressed by Jerry as I was!
Newton gives Brown’s faith an important role in shaping his entire political career. I didn’t realize that Brown had taken a post-seminary-post-gubernatorial detour to study Zen Buddhism. He certainly seems to have spent more time than I realized running for President.
I like the note of one reader who said that the bio was about the California that gave us Jerry Brown. He really is a child of a state that is famous for being just a bit different. I’m proud of being from California, but before, I’ve never felt much like a true Californian. After reading this book, I realize the multiplicity of the state’s culture and all the different things that go into being from California. It’s now that I can embrace my roots without hesitation. I never truly will be anything but a Californian!
Two things stand out in my own memory of the years of Jerry Brown, but they are not the only ones. One is the Guyana Jonestown massacre and the other is the encounter that I had with Brown in an airport when I was flying back to El Salvador.
The Jonestown event gripped the attention of all those from the Bay Area because Leo Ryan was the congressman from a local district, actually the one in which Gaga and Grandaddy lived. Ryan’s death there in Jonestown and the number of young people who had abandoned their parents, gone down there to follow that crazy man, and ultimately died made it immensely personal. So many of the cultural catch-phrases that we use today spring from those events - among them drinking the Kool-aid.
It was 1995, I think, when I met Brown in the airport. Transferring to a connecting fight, I sat for a while in the waiting area, watching him and finally got up the courage to go and talk to him. I knew he had spoken out on the issue of underaged labor in overseas factories making garments for U.S. markets. The news about Kathy Lee Griffith’s use of Honduran factories was very much on everyone’s mind. But the photos that had been shown on television were actually pictures of El Salvador. I remember telling Brown about my distress that those photographs of workers who were, in fact, more than 16 should be used to try the case in the media. I knew they were over 16 because I had visited those factories and checked on that very point! He was interested; he took notes; and while I don’t know what he did with that information I do know that it gave me personal satisfaction to be able to correct the record on that point.
Newton also mentions the Patty Hearst kidnapping, Angela Davis, and the controversial Rose Bird. (It’s funny; I can’t say I ever understood WHY she was so controversial until now!) the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill I definitely remember. Either Grandma or Mama and Papa had taken us down south and we were swimming at Seal Beach; the oil deposits ruined my new two-piece bathing suit!
I also didn’t realize that Brown was both the youngest AND the oldest of California’s governors. Newton does a good job of capturing his youthful zeal, coupled with his inexperience and his unwillingness to be viewed in his father’s shadow. Then later he casts Brown as the more experienced, but still innovative leader in those recent terms.
Here I will quote a section from the author himself:
Newton uses Reinhold Niebuhr’s serenity prayer as the explanation of the dichotomy in Brown’s life between “do what you were doing,” and “live in the inquiry.” He did have the serenity to accept the things he could not change, the courage to change the things he could, and usually the wisdom to know the difference. When Brown was “doing what he was doing,” he was accepting; when he was campaigning and leading, he was practicing the courage of his convictions. He was often seeking wisdom.
To put all this in another way, Nathan Gardell’s observation about his friend seems fitting as well. Brown, he said, seemed torn between wanting to be a monk and wanting to be president. That’s why Gardell saw the Oakland mayoralty is such a good fit for Brown. It positioned him as a parish priest with both spiritual and earthly obligations.
Brown did not see himself as a rebel leader, but Trump’s victory ensured that his final years in office would take on that cast, as California happily announced itself as the center of the resistance to Washington. Like it or not. Brown, at age 78, became the leader of that resistance, the intellectual and spiritual head of a government in exile, one that was accepting of immigrants, generous with healthcare, admiring of science, awed by nature, respectful of God. By 2016, it had become the fifth largest economy in the world, and Brown, once destined for the priesthood, stood atop it.
Returning to my own voice: one of the things I remember from my very first Foreign Service oral exam is using Brown’s call for California to launch a spacecraft as an example of its importance and prominent role in world affairs. Clearly the men giving me the test weren’t as impressed by Jerry as I was!
Newton gives Brown’s faith an important role in shaping his entire political career. I didn’t realize that Brown had taken a post-seminary-post-gubernatorial detour to study Zen Buddhism. He certainly seems to have spent more time than I realized running for President.
I like the note of one reader who said that the bio was about the California that gave us Jerry Brown. He really is a child of a state that is famous for being just a bit different. I’m proud of being from California, but before, I’ve never felt much like a true Californian. After reading this book, I realize the multiplicity of the state’s culture and all the different things that go into being from California. It’s now that I can embrace my roots without hesitation. I never truly will be anything but a Californian!
July 31, 2020
A nice look into the complexities and contradictions of one of the most interesting of political leaders. As well a review of the many events that have shaped this great state in the second half of the 2oth century, and beyond...
September 9, 2020
Great California History
This book should be required ready for any college class on California history. I highly recommend it. I relived my whole life in California. I was born 1 month after Jerry. He is a truly remarkable man.
This book should be required ready for any college class on California history. I highly recommend it. I relived my whole life in California. I was born 1 month after Jerry. He is a truly remarkable man.
August 30, 2020
As much a history of modern California as it is a political biography of jerry brown. At a polarized time in politics it is interesting to read about the extent that mulled over complexity in his endeavor to both stay true to himself while also serving California.
September 23, 2023
The Goodreads synopsis of Man of Tomorrow: The Relentless Life of Jerry Brown provides all the reasons to read this fascinating, comprehensive view of the life and times of Jerry Brown, whom some have called one of the most misunderstood politicians in America. A thinker steeped in three years of Jesuit seminary training, Brown kept these foundations along with some serious study in Zen traditions as guidance throughout his life of energetic, highly original public service. As part of his research James Newton interviewed hundreds of Brown's colleagues, friends and family as well as many hours talking with Jerry Brown and his wife Anne Gust to assemble this thoughtful work. He gets Brown to reflect on his successes and failures, including three presidential runs, to reveal more about this complex man. Brown's decisions often seemed contradictory. For example, after serving two terms as California governor in the 1970s and dropping out of public life for several years, he wanted return to politics as governor again. His unusual route back was by becoming mayor of Oakland, CA where he learned valuable lessons of governing for individuals not causes. One friend, Nathan Gardels, remarked "Part of Brown wanted to be president; another part wanted to be a monk. Being mayor of Oakland was perfect. Now he was a parish priest." You've got to read the book to understand the depth of these two attributes that pull at Brown throughout his life. Brown served 4 four-year terms as governor, 28 years apart, and became a global leader in environmental protection and governing with fiscal responsibility.
August 18, 2020
Must read. As much a cultural and political history of California (and the US) as it is a narrative on Jerry Brown. From climate change environmental, AIDS crisis, energy and water crisis, higher education, the birth of the internet, California’s unique position as a nation-state driving political activism. An innovative leader uniquely himself, uniquely Californian, the most successful politician and public servant in California history. His contributions in the first two terms mocked at the time, became the driving force of innovation which we consider mainstream today. I worked in Gov Brown’s office during his 3rd term (2013), I thought I knew his legacy, this book was an education, amplifying my appreciation.
August 12, 2020
Many times during the reading of this full history of Jerry Brown's California, I was reminded that I was "there" ( not physically, of course) when "it" happened. The very thorough research and easy reading style reminded me time and again why I think the state I have called home for 70 years is the most fascinating, irritating, and wonderful place to live and work.
July 4, 2020
I thought this book was an excellent capsulation of the economic, cultural and environmental issues California has faced in the past 60 years seen through the eyes of the father and son Brown governors, but particularly focusing on the education and upbringing of Jerry Brown who uniquely served as governor for two terms in the 1970's and another two terms in the 21st century. Many examples were given of Brown's unusual style of decision making that drew on his Seminary studies, Zen explorations and love of debating other intellectuals. He liked to question everything, he was extremely frugal and cared deeply about this environment. In his early years as governor, he was more philosophical and aloof from the issues whereas, the second time around, having served as Mayor of Oakland which he likened to being a parish priest, he was more empathetic with how policies affected individuals. Jim Newton writes in a clear and amusing way, often ending chapters with a zinger. He uses baseball as a framework for different eras as well as citing influential and/or difficult California happenings like the Rodney King riots and the Peoples Temple. I thought this was a great introduction to recent California history.
February 28, 2021
My memory tells me that Jerry Brown lived though some fascinating times and knew many historic personalities. Newton clearly holds Brown in high regard, so how could this biography end up so boring and lack any depth or insight at all?
Yes, I learned a couple of things about Brown’s governing philosophy, thought not as much as I’d anticipated. Brown may have been a visionary and iconoclast, but you won’t discover it from this book.
Yes, I learned a couple of things about Brown’s governing philosophy, thought not as much as I’d anticipated. Brown may have been a visionary and iconoclast, but you won’t discover it from this book.
July 21, 2022
Never before have I read a biography written so evidently with the idea that the subject would read it. I agree with another reviewer's observation that at times the praise for Brown becomes so effusive that it feels like you are reading a draft of the man's obituary. Robert Caro this ain't. Still, as a Brown fan I enjoyed it and walked away with a deeper appreciation of who Brown is and what he accomplished.
July 11, 2020
A powerful record of character and achievement
Newton traces the unusual arc of a governor who served first as youthful rebel to convention and then as seasoned elder statesman. Brown's probing mind and willingness to challenge convention (but only so far) are examined carefully and generally with admiration.
Newton traces the unusual arc of a governor who served first as youthful rebel to convention and then as seasoned elder statesman. Brown's probing mind and willingness to challenge convention (but only so far) are examined carefully and generally with admiration.
June 8, 2020
Excellent book that’s cleverly written by Jim Newton. It accurately highlights the life, philosophy and accomplishments of Jerry Brown. Anyone interested in history, or California, or just interesting people will find this book a fantastic read. Well worth the time!!
November 22, 2022
Rounding up from 4.5. Gripping. Informative. Stuff from our own era explained. Fast moving. Convoluted, but straightforward. We all loved it.
April 22, 2022
Arguably, Jerry Brown—given his multiple terms as governor of California—is the most influential Californian of our time. Love him or hate him, if you are Californian you can’t ignore him or his influence. I was born in California when Pat Brown (Jerry’s dad) was Governor and left California when Jerry Brown was in his first set of terms as governor. The Brown family is to California politics as the Kennedys are to Massachusetts or maybe the Bushes in Texas. Again, love ‘em or hate ‘em, the Browns are royalty of sorts. As such I was interested when a friend suggested this book. I don’t generally like biographies and this is a biography. I’d say it leans “pro-Brown” although it is also plenty critical of him, as well. I’d say it is sympathetic to his efforts, but the author found him odd enough, prone to self-inflicted wounds, and the situations troubling enough that the book did not turn into a hagiography. For me, as much as anything, it read like a 20th century history of California politics, something I found interesting since being a nerdy kid I lived and absorbed much of it while growing up. I wouldn’t recommend the book for those without a reason to be interested in Jerry Brown or the California economic and social juggernaut. (Despite what I’ve heard for my 60 years, California is not collapsing nor emptying of talent; it remains the country’s most powerful/vibrant economy despite critics’ claims otherwise.) If you are so inclined to read it, it falls middle of the pack of my books read this year.
June 8, 2024
When asked directly I tell people I'm a Jerry Brown Demarcate; I prescribe to Gov. Moonbeam's Canoe Theory of Politics.
Jerry Brown played such a large role in the development of California that to understand his involvement in both shaping and responding to changes within the state provides great insight. I never knew that he was once mayor of Oakland, or a friend Joan Didion. This book gave me better insight into both the roles of his Catholicism and his bachelorhood on his politics. It also has me reflecting on how, at all levels of government, administrations are composed by those elected and the friends and associates they bring on board.
I also learned a couple fun facts:
1) Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead taught music lessons on Cal Ave
2) In the 1970s 2/5 men in San Francisco were Gay
Jerry Brown played such a large role in the development of California that to understand his involvement in both shaping and responding to changes within the state provides great insight. I never knew that he was once mayor of Oakland, or a friend Joan Didion. This book gave me better insight into both the roles of his Catholicism and his bachelorhood on his politics. It also has me reflecting on how, at all levels of government, administrations are composed by those elected and the friends and associates they bring on board.
I also learned a couple fun facts:
1) Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead taught music lessons on Cal Ave
2) In the 1970s 2/5 men in San Francisco were Gay
October 24, 2023
I had long hoped for a book on the life of Jerry Brown, one of the most fascinating figures of our time. That is exactly what Man of Tomorrow brings to the table. Why, then, does it seem so shallow? It seems to skim over some of the most interesting periods in Brown's life, like his "wilderness years" in the '80s, and the detail on his presidential candidacies, the most recognizable facet for most non-Californians, is heavily lacking. Perhaps it's just not wise to expect exhaustive detail from a still-living public figure, but Man of Tomorrow lacks in this department compared to other bios of similarly impactful figures like Richard Norton Smith's On His Own Terms.
January 31, 2024
I found this biography of former Governor Jerry Brown, to be an honest, engaging and inspiring true story of the man himself. As a retired state official, I started my career during Brown’s first term as a California Governor, retiring during his second and last term of office. This “behind the scenes” look at how the Governor thinks, inquires, and acts, was fascinating, to say the least, to someone like myself, who witnessed Brown’s effect on state government first hand. I highly recommend this book!
March 24, 2021
Quite the career and a fascinating man. He is a complex subject to write about and has done so much during his career, the author does a fair job, but not great, in putting this biography together. I did enjoy this book and learned quite a bit about what drove Jerry Brown during his political career.
May 26, 2023
An uninspired biography of Jerry Brown that at once fails to explore the psychology of the former California governor while making him seem entirely uninteresting, despite his fascinating life journey.
Newton blows past major moments in Brown's life, failing to interrogate what led him from a monastery to a bachelor pad, from law school to Sacramento, and so on.
Newton blows past major moments in Brown's life, failing to interrogate what led him from a monastery to a bachelor pad, from law school to Sacramento, and so on.
November 11, 2020
I'm not a history or political buff, nor a native Californian. This book satisfied all three gaps of knowledge. Interesting enough to listen to twice - once for the arc of Brown's life and once for the arc of California's history in that time.
June 26, 2021
Excellent
A thorough history of Jerry Brown and his times. This is a good book to read, not just to learn more about Jerry Brown, but to delve into the details of the California politics surrounding him.
A thorough history of Jerry Brown and his times. This is a good book to read, not just to learn more about Jerry Brown, but to delve into the details of the California politics surrounding him.
October 26, 2022
Very well documented and written biography of America’s greatest political mind. The author really captured the essence of who Jerry is and how it related to his work in a lifetime of politics. The US would be in a much better place, had Governor Brown made it to the presidency.
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