"New York Times journalist Steven A. 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 biography captures the hard realities and savvy strategies behind Brown's career. The story delivers profiles of key players in American life and politics today, including Vernon Jordan, Jesse Jackson, Alexis Herman, Douglas Wilder, Ted Kennedy, and Mario Cuomo."--BOOK JACKET.