The Browns of California

A sprawling family story that, thanks to the sheer effort and skill of its author, tackles four generations of a political dynasty’s history and shapes it into a history of modern California at the same time. We see the Browns both shaping California and in turn being inexorably shaped by it, and we come away knowing them and knowing the Golden State all the better for this book’s depth and ambition.

Miriam Pawel uses former California Gov. Jerry Brown and his ancestors, who were among the early White settlers of California, to tell the California story. I covered Brown’s second eight years as governor and his term as California attorney general, and knew him from his days as Oakland mayor. As well as I thought I knew him, Miriam Pawel offers new insights into one of the most fascinating political figures of our time. The book is more than a character study of the man who served 16 years as governor, first in the 1970s and early 1980s, and later from… show more.