Ron Brown: An Uncommon Life

By Steven A. Holmes

Book Overview

Who was the real Ron Brown? Washington lawyer, secretary of Commerce, presidential king maker, deal maker, maverick, icon--one of the most intriguing and complex personalities of the twentieth century. He rose from segregated Harlem to the top levels of American politics. He broke every stereotype of race and class and mastered the art of winning in a world in transition. At the height of his game, when he had honed his skills, he would transform the way the game of politics was played. With bold and incisive reporting, New York Times journalist Steven A. Holmes recovers the lessons of Ron Brown's life. Holmes reveals not only who Brown was but exactly how he arrived at the nexus of power. Born in Washington, D.C., in 1941 and reared in Harlem, Brown was descended from a resourceful, ambitious African American family. His forebears traveled the dirt roads of the Reconstruction South. Brown came of age against the backdrop of the emerging Civil Rights movement. He immersed himself in the world as an equal to the best and brightest in elite schools, as an army officer, and as the chief lobbyist for the National Urban League. He penetrated the veil of the white Democratic Party hierarchy, became a partner in the high-flying Washington law firm of Patton, Boggs & Blow, and he carved a place in history when he was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee and emerged as its most effective champion in a generation. The higher he climbed, the more intense was the pressure and the more unforgiving the magnifying glass of the media. Through in-depth interviews with his extended family members, friends, and Washington insiders who knew him well, this definitive biography captures the hard realities and savvy strategies behind Brown's remarkable career. The story delivers sharply etched profiles of key players in American life and politics today, including Vernon Jordan, Jesse Jackson, Alexis Herman, Douglas Wilder, Ted Kennedy, and Mario Cuomo. Exhaustively detailed, it offers invaluable insight into Brown's private struggles as well as his public legacy. The result is an unflinching portrait of an exemplary modern figure, a man whose life story brilliantly crystallizes tensions and aspirations that are central to our times. FROM HARLEM TO THE TOP ECHELONS OF AMERICAN POLITICS "A fascinating read. There's no question Steve Holmes's well-researched biography of Ron Brown captures the man. Brown was a complex individual. What was hidden by his race, his class, his personality, and his political power was the underlying fact that his story, private and public, goes beyond him as an individual. Holmes has captured Brown in the crosshairs of two worlds: one of the black middle class that comes of age in his generation and another at the heart of power in white-run Washington."--Sam Fulwood III, author of Waking from the Dream "Wonderful reporting. Steve Holmes opens rich vistas into American politics and the sociology of black America."--Juan Williams, author of Eyes on the Prize and Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471183881
• ISBN13: 9780471183884
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
• Length: 316 Pages
• Weight: 1.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.0" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

An uncommonly good book

In this unauthorized biography, Steven Holmes has done a meticulous job of reporting -- conducting countless interviews and citing numerous original source materials. This highly readable work conveys the essence of a man who rose to the highest ranks of American government and whose influence on the global economy is felt even today. Holmes delves into every aspect of Ron Brown's life -- from his childhood at the Hotel Theresa in Harlem, through his college and military days, his stint at the Urban League, and his meteoric ascension through Democratic party politics into the Clinton cabinet. Readers of "An Uncommon Life" get a thorough sense of Brown's charm, his analytical mind, his tenacious drive to succeed, his weakness for beautiful women. Holmes offers an unsparing but ultimately fair view of the nation's first black Commerce Secretary, whose all-too-human flaws can never overshadow his accomplishments.

It's Great!

Wow! This is a great book. The story of how one man, Ron Brown, emerges as the hidden hand behind the Democrat's re-taking of Washington is a gripping tale of power, politics and personality. Born into a middle-class black family, Ron Brown's life takes him from the halls of Harlem's fabled Hotel Theresa, where he grew up, to all-white Middlebury College, to the civil rights movement and, finally, to a position where he helps resurrect the fortunes of the Democratic Party. Ron Brown is presented in all his complexities - his life, his loves, and his ability to bridge racial divides with a silken, yet steely, determination. It's a tale well-told, smoothly-written, and filled with solid investigative reporting. This is a book to buy - and keep.

A good read!

This is a great book especially if you're interested in what makes Washington tick. It is a true, honest, tough but fair portrait of a man who lived and breathed politics. He succeeded tremendously in his efforts on behalf of the Democratic party and his community of people, African Americans. Unfortunately, he made a few mistakes along the way but he should not be chastised. Are we not all human and do we not all show our frailty in different forms? The biography moves quickly as it evolves from childhood thru youth to mature adult and captures the essence of Brown's experiences to show us how he became the man we remember today.

A tour de force

I loved An Uncommon Man. Adroitly written, Steve Holmes tells a story about one of the towering African-American figures of the late twentieth century. Through this biography, one remembers that the civil rights movement still has a way to go - and that some of the struggles are not that old. Moreover, one learns about - and appreciates - the human side of a gifted person who, through his great talent and hard work, rose to the apex of the American political system and had an impact on politics that continues today. Brown refused to let the color of his skin stop his progress albeit acknowledging the reality that race played. Significant detail about the history and background of Brown and his family and colleagues make this a particular joy to read. Anyone who enjoys contemporary political biographies will love this tour-de-force.