Willie Brown: The Political Life

What It Takes®

No one could work a room like Willie Brown. He was the consummate politician and public servant, and a true American original. He started life in a small, segregated Texas town, worked as a shoeshine boy and a janitor, but went on to dominate California politics for more than 40 years -- as Speaker of the State Assembly and as two-term mayor of San Francisco (the city's first black mayor). He was a wheeler and dealer, and incredibly effective at getting things done, often with the support of Republican colleagues across the aisle. He analyzes the current state of affairs as he sees them, in California and in the nation. He describes how he ended up dating Kamala Harris years ago, and how he ended up with a small role in The Godfather: Part III. Finally, he admits to an addiction to the finest Italian suits.

(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2020