Daniel James Brown

Last updated
Daniel James Brown
Daniel James Brown.JPG
Brown in 2014.
Born1951 (age 7273)
Berkeley, California
OccupationAuthor
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Diablo Valley College
University of California, Berkeley (BA)
University of California, Los Angeles (MA)
Website
www.danieljamesbrown.com

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

Contents

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. [1] 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]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Saroyan</span> American writer

William Saroyan was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film The Human Comedy. When the studio rejected his original 240-page treatment, he turned it into a novel, The Human Comedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Book Award</span> American literary awards

The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The National Book Awards were established in 1936 by the American Booksellers Association, abandoned during World War II, and re-established by three book industry organizations in 1950. Non-U.S. authors and publishers were eligible for the pre-war awards. Since then they are presented to U.S. authors for books published in the United States roughly during the award year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Clooney</span> American actor and filmmaker (born 1961)

George Timothy Clooney is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards. Clooney has been honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2015, the Honorary César in 2017, AFI Life Achievement Award in 2018, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross Bagdasarian</span> American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor (1919-1972)

Ross S. Bagdasarian, known professionally by his stage name David Seville, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor, best known for creating the cartoon band Alvin and the Chipmunks. Initially a stage and film actor, he rose to prominence in 1958 with the songs "Witch Doctor" and "The Chipmunk Song ", which both became Billboard number-one singles. He produced and directed The Alvin Show, which aired on CBS in 1961–1962.

IndieBound is a marketing movement for independent bookstores launched in 2008 by the American Booksellers Association. With resources targeted for "indie" booksellers, it promotes fiscal localism. IndieBound's curated reading lists include the Indie Next List and the Indie Bestseller List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Freeman</span> American artist

Don Freeman was an American painter, printmaker, cartoonist, and an illustrator and writer of children's books. He was active from the 1930s to the 1970s and often used Times Square as the backdrop of his memorable works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Egan</span> American writer

Timothy P. Egan is an American author, journalist and former op-ed columnist for The New York Times.

Jonathan Evison is an American writer known for his novels All About Lulu, West of Here, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance!, Lawn Boy, Legends of the North Cascades, and most recently Small World. His work, often distinguished by its emotional resonance and offbeat humor, has been compared by critics to a variety of authors, most notably J.D. Salinger, Charles Dickens, T.C. Boyle, and John Irving. Sherman Alexie has called Evison "the most honest white man alive."

<i>Columbine</i> (book) 2009 non-fiction book written by Dave Cullen

Columbine is a non-fiction book written by Dave Cullen and published by Twelve on April 6, 2009. It is an examination of the Columbine High School massacre, on April 20, 1999, and the perpetrators Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. The book covers two major storylines: the killers' evolution leading up to the attack, and the survivors' struggles with the aftermath over the next decade. Chapters alternate between the two stories. Graphic depictions of parts of the attack are included, in addition to the actual names of friends and family.

The William Saroyan International Prize for Writing is a biennial literary award for fiction and nonfiction in the spirit of William Saroyan by emerging writers. It was established by Stanford University Libraries and the William Saroyan Foundation to "encourage new or emerging writers rather than recognize established literary figures;" the prize being $12,500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A'Lelia Bundles</span> American journalist

A'Lelia Perry Bundles is an American journalist, news producer and author, known for her 2001 biography of her great-great-grandmother Madam C. J. Walker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillip Hoose</span> American writer (born 1947)

Phillip M. Hoose is an American writer of books, essays, stories, songs, and articles. His first published works were written for adults, but he turned his attention to children and young adults to keep up with his daughters. His work has been well received and honored more than once by the children's literature community. He won the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, Nonfiction, for The Race to Save the Lord God Bird (2004), and the National Book Award, Young People's Literature, for Claudette Colvin (2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sy Montgomery</span> Naturalist, author and scriptwriter (born 1958)

Sy Montgomery is an American naturalist, author and scriptwriter who writes for children as well as adults.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Dilloway</span> Japanese American author

Margaret Dilloway is a Japanese American author best known for her novels How To Be An American Housewife and The Care And Handling Of Roses With Thorns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth Ann Fennelly</span> American poet and writer

Beth Ann Fennelly is an American poet and prose writer and was the Poet Laureate of Mississippi.

<i>The Boys in the Boat</i> Book by Daniel James Brown

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics is a non-fiction novel written by Daniel James Brown and published on June 4, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Ford</span> American writer

Jamie Ford is an American author. He is best known for his debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. The book spent 130 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List, and was also awarded best "Adult Fiction" book at the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature. The book was also named the No. 1 Book Club Pick for Fall 2009/Winter 2010 by the American Booksellers Association.

<i>Malalas Magic Pencil</i> Book by Malala Yousafzai

Malala's Magic Pencil is a 2017 picture book authored by Malala Yousafzai and illustrated by Kerascoët. The book was published by Little, Brown and Company in the U.S., and Puffin Books in the U.K., with Farrin Jacobs as editor. It shows Yousafzai growing up in Swat, Pakistan, and wishing for a magic pencil to solve her problems; she learns that she is able to make change, such as advancing rights to female education, without one. The book has received very positive reviews, praising both Yousafzai's writing and Kerascoët's illustrations. The book appears on several lists of best children's books of 2017.

<i>The Boys in the Boat</i> (film) 2023 American film by George Clooney

The Boys in the Boat is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film produced and directed by George Clooney from a screenplay by Mark L. Smith, based on the 2013 book of the same name by Daniel James Brown. The film follows the University of Washington rowing team, and their quest to compete in the 1936 Summer Olympics. It stars Joel Edgerton as coach Al Ulbrickson Sr. and Callum Turner as rower Joe Rantz.

Don Brown is an American author and illustrator of children's books.

References

  1. 1 2 "Daniel James Brown-About".
  2. Mary Roach, "Desperate Journey", The New York Times, May 1, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  3. "The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride", Kirkus, May 20, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  4. Janet Maslin, "Riding Waves of Thrills, Chills and Carats", The New York Times, June 6, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  5. "Clooney set to direct Berlin Olympics true life drama". RTE. August 10, 2020.
  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". Archived from the original on 2014-04-25.
  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". Archived from the original on 2014-06-08. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
  15. Notable Books Online 2014 Notable Books.
  16. "Indie Next List for July 2013". Archived from the original on 2014-03-19. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
  17. "ABA Announces 2014 Indies Choice and E.B. White Read-Aloud Award Winners".
  18. "Washington State Book Award Winners". Archived from the original on 2015-05-14. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  19. "Association des Ecrivains Sportifs Prix Etranger Sport & Littérature".
  20. Maryland Humanities Council. "The 2015 One Maryland One Book". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg "YouTube video from author presentation at City Opera House in Traverse City, Michigan, August 27, 2014".
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Daniel James Brown, Author of The Boys in the Boat, Lake Leelanau Chase Regatta, October 26, 2013.