Daniel James Brown is an accomplished American writer, renowned for his captivating nonfiction books. His work is characterized by his commitment to historical accuracy and his ability to bring events to life in a vivid and engaging way. Brown grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and pursued his higher education at Diablo Valley College, the University of California, and UCLA.
Brown's writing career is marked by a series of successful publications. His first book, "Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894," was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and was selected as a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers pick. This book delves into the tragic events of the Hinckley Fire of 1894, a forest fire that claimed the lives of over 300 people, including Brown's great-grandfather.
In addition to "Under a Flaming Sky," Brown has written several other notable books. "The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride" recounts the story of a young woman whose fate became intertwined with the infamous Donner Party in 1846. This book was chosen as an INDIE NEXT NOTABLE SELECTION by the American Bookseller's Association. His breakthrough success came with "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics," which became a New York Times bestseller. This book tells the extraordinary tale of nine working-class boys who transformed the sport of rowing and captured the attention of millions of Americans during the Great Depression. The book has been acquired by MGM to be adapted into a feature film directed by George Clooney.
Brown's most recent work, "Facing the Mountain," follows the lives of four young Japanese American men and their families as they bravely confront the harsh realities brought about by the onset of World War II. Brown currently resides in the country east of Redmond, Washington, where he continues to write narrative nonfiction books that bring compelling historical events to life. When he's not writing, he can be found birding, gardening, fly fishing, reading American history, or chasing bears away from his beehives. Brown and his wife share their home with an assortment of cats, dogs, chickens, and honeybees.