3 Review(s)

A magical, true story, Bob Brown's beguiling memoir takes readers behind the scenes of pivotal moments in recent history, where lessons learned at his grandmother's knee helped him shape America as we know it today. Called "a world-class power broker" by the Washington Post, Robert Brown has been a sought-after counsellor for an impressive array of the famous and powerful, including every American president since John F. Kennedy. But as a child born into poverty in the early twentieth century, Robert was raised by his grandmother to think differently about success. For example, "If you want to lead," she told him, "be invisible." And, "Before entering a room, let God in the room first." Fuelled by these lessons on humble, principled service, Brown went on to play a pivotal, mostly unseen role alongside the great and the powerful of our time: trailing the mob in 1950s Harlem with a young Robert F. Kennedy; helping the all-white corporate titans at Woolworth integrate their lunch counters; accompanying Coretta Scott King, at her request, to Memphis the day after her husband had been shot; advising Richard Nixon on how to defuse racially charged street demonstrations; becoming the only person allowed to visit Nelson Mandela in Pollsmoor prison in Cape Town. BECOMING MR. BROWN blends a heartwarming, historically fascinating account with memorable success principles that will speak to the Mr. Brown in all of us.