Daniel James Brown

Daniel James Brown

Brown in 2014.
Born 1951 (age 64–65)
Berkeley, California
Occupation Author
Nationality American
Education Diablo Valley College
Alma mater University of California at Berkeley
Website
www.danieljamesbrown.com

Daniel James Brown (born 1951) is an American author of narrative nonfiction books.

Biography

Brown was born in Berkeley, California. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He attended Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Arts degree from the University of California at Los Angeles. Brown taught writing at San Jose State University and Stanford University before becoming a technical writer and editor. He now writes narrative nonfiction full-time.

Career

Brown’s debut book, Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894 (2006), traces the personal stories and social, economic, and environmental causes of the Great Hinckley Fire of September 1, 1894, which burned an area of up to 250,000 acres (1,000 sq km; 390 sq mi), including the town of Hinckley, Minnesota. The fire killed hundreds, including Brown’s great-grandfather.

Brown’s second book, The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride (2009), traces the footsteps of Sarah Graves, a young bride who left her home in Illinois in the spring of 1846, bound for California. Sarah was one of a handful of the ill-fated Donner Party members who attempted to hike out of the Sierra Nevada to save herself and her family.[1][2]

Brown’s latest book, The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics (2013), celebrates the 1936 U.S. men’s Olympic eight-oar rowing team—nine working-class boys rowing for the University of Washington.[3] It is also the story of one young man in particular, Joseph Rantz. The Weinstein Company has purchased the rights to adapt the book for a feature film,[4] to be directed by Peter Berg.[5]

Awards and recognition

Under a Flaming Sky, The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894 (2006)

The Indifferent Stars Above, The Harrowing Sage of a Donner Party Bride (2009)

The Boys in the Boat, Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics (2013)[12]

References

  1. ↑ Mary Roach, "Desperate Journey", The New York Times, May 1, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  2. ↑ "The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride", Kirkus, May 20, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  3. ↑ Janet Maslin, "Riding Waves of Thrills, Chills and Carats", The New York Times, June 6, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Weinstein Company Captures Book Proposal On 1936 U.S. Olympics Crew Team.".
  5. ↑ "Peter Berg To Direct Weinstein Company’s "Boys in the Boat"".
  6. ↑ "INDIE NEXT NOTABLE Selection by the American Bookseller's Association".
  7. ↑ "Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers".
  8. ↑ "Notable Books of 2006 by Booklist magazine".
  9. 1 2 "2007 Whidbey Island Writers Conference".
  10. ↑ "JUNE 2009 INDIE NEXT LIST NOTABLES".
  11. ↑ "New York Times Sunday Book Review Editor's Choice (May 10, 2009)".
  12. ↑ Jay Parini (13 July 2013). "The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown – review". The Guardian. I was impressed with Brown's research, imagining the countless interviews, the exhumation of journals and logs, and the patient review of long-defunct newspaper articles and photographs it must have involved. The Boys in the Boat is, then, an often inspiring feat of narrative non-fiction...
  13. ↑ "William Saroyan International Prize for Writing", accessed 12 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "Shortlist for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2013".
  15. ↑ "Notable Books Online 2014 Notable Books".
  16. ↑ "Indie Next List for July 2013".
  17. ↑ "ABA Announces 2014 Indies Choice and E.B. White Read-Aloud Award Winners".
  18. ↑ "Washington State Book Award Winners".
  19. ↑ "Association des Ecrivains Sportifs Prix Etranger Sport & Litterature".
  20. ↑ Maryland Humanities Council. "The 2015 One Maryland One Book".

External links

External video
"YouTube video from author presentation at City Opera House in Traverse City, Michigan, August 27, 2014". 
Daniel James Brown, Author of The Boys in the Boat, Lake Leelanau Chase Regatta, October 26, 2013.
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