Daniel James Brown Explained

Daniel James Brown
Birth Place:Berkeley, California, U.S.
Occupation:Author
Alma Mater:Diablo Valley College
University of California, Berkeley (BA)
University of California, Los Angeles (MA)

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.[1] 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 km2; 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.[2] [3]

Brown's third book, The Boys in the Boat (2013), celebrates the 1936 U.S. men's Olympic eight-oar rowing team—9 working-class boys rowing for the University of Washington.[4] It is also the story of one young man in particular, Joe Rantz. MGM and George Clooney's production company have purchased the rights to adapt the book for a feature film, to be directed by George Clooney.[5]

Brown's fourth book, Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II (2021), covers the World War II patriotism and courage of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a special Japanese American Army unit that overcame brutal odds in Europe; their families, incarcerated behind barbed wire in the American West due to the American internment policy; and a young man who refused to surrender his constitutional rights, even if it meant imprisonment.

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]

On June 8, 2024, the University of Washington awarded Brown with an honorary degree.[21]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Daniel James Brown-About.
  2. Mary Roach, "Desperate Journey", The New York Times, May 1, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  3. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/daniel-james-brown/the-indifferent-stars-above/ "The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride"
  4. Janet Maslin, "Riding Waves of Thrills, Chills and Carats", The New York Times, June 6, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  5. News: August 10, 2020. Clooney set to direct Berlin Olympics true life drama. RTE.
  6. Web site: INDIE NEXT NOTABLE Selection by the American Bookseller's Association .
  7. Web site: Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers.
  8. Web site: Notable Books of 2006 by Booklist magazine.
  9. Web site: 2007 Whidbey Island Writers Conference . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140425090602/http://www.nila.edu/wiwc/presenters/ . 2014-04-25 .
  10. Web site: JUNE 2009 INDIE NEXT LIST NOTABLES.
  11. Web site: New York Times Sunday Book Review Editor's Choice (May 10, 2009).
  12. News: The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown – review . Jay Parini. 13 July 2013 . 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. http://library.stanford.edu/projects/william-saroyan-international-prize-writing "William Saroyan International Prize for Writing"
  14. Web site: Shortlist for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2013. 2014-04-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20140608094758/http://www.williamhillmedia.com/index.php/sports-book-of-the-year-shortlist-2013. 2014-06-08. dead.
  15. Book: Notable Books Online 2014 Notable Books.
  16. Web site: Indie Next List for July 2013. 2014-04-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20140319091112/http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780670025817/daniel-james-brown/boys-boat. 2014-03-19. dead.
  17. Web site: ABA Announces 2014 Indies Choice and E.B. White Read-Aloud Award Winners.
  18. Web site: Washington State Book Award Winners. 2014-12-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20150514164356/http://www.spl.org/audiences/adults/washington-state-book-awards/washington-state-book-award-winners. 2015-05-14. dead.
  19. Web site: Association des Ecrivains Sportifs Prix Etranger Sport & Littérature.
  20. Web site: The 2015 One Maryland One Book . Maryland Humanities Council . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402132202/http://mdhc.org/programs/one-maryland-one-book/2015-omob/ . 2015-04-02 .
  21. Web site: 2024-04-24 . UW graduation to feature speaker whose bestselling book inspired a George Clooney film . 2024-06-08 . The Seattle Times . en-US.

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