Publishers Weekly
03/23/2020
In this overblown hagiography, journalist Newton (coauthor, Worthy Fights) views the life of four-term California governor Jerry Brown through the lens of the state’s post-WWII cultural, economic, and political upheavals. Charting Brown’s path from 18-year-old seminary student to Yale Law School graduate to governor (from 1975 to 1983 and again from 2011 to 2019) and presidential candidate (in 1976, 1980, and 1992), Newton highlights Brown’s “lifelong unwillingness to accept convention” and “the Oedipal impulses that connected and divided” him and his father, two-term California governor Pat Brown. In interviews conducted between 2016 and 2019, Brown reveals little about the rationale behind his career choices (which also included stints as mayor of Oakland and California attorney general) and stances on issues such as nuclear power, criminal justice reform, real estate development vs. environmental protections, and “fiscal responsibility.” Newton fills in the gaps with colorful sketches of California history, including the Manson murders and the rise of Silicon Valley, and exhaustive details about budget proposals and statewide ballot measures, but doesn’t get far beyond the shallow assessment that Brown’s mix of conservative and liberal principles makes him “thoroughly and completely his own person.” Readers hoping for deeper insight into California’s longest-serving governor will be disappointed. (May)
From the Publisher
A Los Angeles Times Bestseller One of LitHub's Most Anticipated Books of 2020
A New & Noteworthy New York Times Selection
"Jerry Brown gets the biography he deserves...Man of Tomorrow, is a thoughtful look at the governor who shaped the state that has always reached the American future before the rest of the country. It is the play of this man of the mind against the experience of a veteran newsman that makes this volume a formidable contribution to the history of both the state and the country."—David Shribman, Los Angeles Times
"A vivid and admiring biography of Brown" —Mark Brilliant, Washington Post
"Newton brings his deep knowledge of California politics to an engaging, sympathetic biography of the state's 34th and 39th governor, Jerry Brown ...Newton follows all of Brown's ups and downs in a fluid, highly readable biography. A well-delineated portrait of an accomplished leader."—Kirkus Reviews, starred
"Veteran journalist Jim Newton provides a thorough and sympathetic take on one of California's most significant and unconventional politicians."—Anisse Gross, San Francisco Chronicle
"Newton brings serious cred to this project, having spent 25 years covering California government as a reporter, columnist, editorial-page editor, and editor at large for the Los Angeles Times. All of which is needed to trace the political life of one of the more thoughtful, influential, enigmatic, and resilient public servants in modern America. Newton avoids the quicksand of detail while still laying out the issues closest to Brown's heart and the political races he ran...Very nearly a must for the politics collection."—Booklist
"An insider political biography that will have national appeal."—Library Journal
"It's more than just a biography of the man; Newton believes Brown's career in California shows how politics works now and how it could work in the future, with Brown's signature blend of pragmatism and compassion."—Napa Valley Register
"Jim Newton...explores in unparalleled detail the rich, varied and complex spiritual forces that have shaped the former governor and made him such a challenging political leader...There is much to be learned from his book."—Fox and Hounds Daily
"Jim Newton tells Brown's story, finding in it the seeds of possibility for an America that is truly great."—LitHub
"This is a powerful and entertaining look at California's one and only Jerry Brown. Newton gives the definitive account of Jerry's life and of the times and state that produced him. Man of Tomorrow is an important contribution to the history of California and the nation — and an especially important one today."—Governor Gavin Newsom
"A quirky, brilliant iconoclast, Jerry Brown led California twice-four decades apart. Newton's engrossing retelling of Brown's remarkable career and the history he lived and shaped is a must read for students of politics!"
—David Axelrod, author of Believer: My Forty Years in Politics
"In his splendid and fascinating book, Man of Tomorrow, Newton deftly traces the myriad reasons for Brown's stumbles and successes against the background of California's changing political demography. Brown gave the author exceptional access and Newton has responded with a revealing portrait of him and an important commentary on California. Whatever readers think of Brown, they will leave this book feeling that they know this hitherto enigmatic politician. That's quite an accomplishment."—Lou Cannon, author ofGovernor Reagan and President Reagan
"Jerry Brown is one of the most intriguing and misunderstood figures in American history. To follow the man who was known as Governor Moonbeam and Linda Ronstadt's boyfriend-but who was also the savvy pol who saved the state of California-is a strange and fascinating trip. There is no better guide than Jim Newton, a vivid and insightful writer who knows his subject cold."—Evan Thomas, authorof Robert Kennedy: His Life and First: Sandra Day O'Connor
"Jim Newton does an excellent job weaving California's modern history with the legacy of Jerry Brown, its longest-serving governor. His book captures the complexities of a man who is both a bold visionary and a practical leader, someone who transformed California into the model for fighting climate change while building the fifth-largest economy in the world."—U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
"In Man of Tomorrow: The Relentless Life of Jerry Brown, Jim Newton captures how the story of California parallels with the story of Jerry Brown. Whether it was the movements for worker rights, fair elections, the environment, or the importance of balanced budgets-Jerry gave Californians a steady hand of leadership through times that shaped California into the state we have today."—U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, author of The Truths We Hold
Library Journal
05/01/2020
Jerry Brown, former four-term governor of California, has been in the public eye for nearly a half-century, having been the longest-serving governor of the state. Elected twice in different decades, 1975–83 and 2011–19, Brown also served as mayor of Oakland (1999–2007) and attorney general of California (2007–11). Newton, a writer for the Los Angeles Times, has spent years observing the politician's long record of public service, and his years out of office. This lengthy, detailed yet accessible account delves into the leader's public and private life, including his childhood as the son of former California governor Pat Brown. Throughout, Newton offers insight into the personal and intellectual influences that shaped his subject's approach to government. This work sets itself apart from others, such as Miriam Pavel's The Browns of California, by contributing a more complete picture of this political figure, using firsthand interviews with Brown himself as well as numerous secondary sources. By also describing unsuccessful efforts to run for California senate in 1982 and the presidency in 1992, Newton gives a nuanced portrait of Brown as well as his complex political philosophy. VERDICT An insider political biography that will have national appeal.—Ed Goedeken, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2020-02-07
Los Angeles Times reporter, columnist, and editor Newton brings his deep knowledge of California politics to an engaging, sympathetic biography of the state’s 34th and 39th governor, Jerry Brown (b. 1938).
Drawing on abundant media coverage, archival sources, and interviews with key figures, including Brown himself, the author, who has written biographies of Earl Warren and Dwight Eisenhower, recounts the career of an unconventional, influential political figure. The son of politician Pat Brown, Jerry entered a Jesuit seminary in 1955 to study for the priesthood. He left after a few years, bristling under the “rules of obedience.” He enrolled at the University of California, where an activist counterculture swirled around him, inspiring him “to bring the liturgical Catholicism of his training” and his “searching, restless intellect” to addressing real-world problems. After graduating from Yale Law School, he returned to California to work in politics. First elected to the Los Angeles School Board, in 1970, he campaigned as a reformer for secretary of state, winning by a small margin. A run for governor followed, and in 1974, after a narrow victory, he ascended to the State House, promising “energy, youth, clean and constructive government.” Although supporters praised the “rambunctious, ambitious and unorthodox aspects” of his personality, his popularity waned. After a second term, Brown reflected, “I believe the people of California would like a respite from me. And in some ways, I would like a respite from them.” He lost a Senate race, failed three times to win nomination for president, and took a few years for introspection before staging a comeback, facing down 10 opponents to win election as mayor of the benighted city of Oakland. What he learned from being mayor, he admitted, shaped his return to the governorship in 2011. He was older and, he believed, wiser than he had been decades earlier. Climate change became his overriding issue, for which he earned accolades at home and abroad. Newton follows all of Brown’s ups and downs in a fluid, highly readable biography.
A well-delineated portrait of an accomplished leader.
