This is the first comprehensive biography of Willie Brown, one of California's most enduring and controversial politicians. He has been an important leader in national political circles for more than two decades, perhaps the only African American elected official whose power transcends race.

James Richardson takes us from Brown's childhood, to his years as Speaker of the California State Assembly, to his election as San Francisco's mayor. Along the way we get a riveting, behind-the-scenes account of three decades of California politics. With brilliant portraits of key figures like Jesse Unruh, Phillip and John Burton, Maxine Waters, and Leo McCarthy, Richardson shows us how Brown kept progressive politics alive in California even during Republican governorships.