Daniel James Brown

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.

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. It is also the story of one young man in particular, Joe Rantz. MGM and George Clooney's production company purchased the rights to adapt the book for a feature film directed by George Clooney.

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) 2006 INDIE NEXT NOTABLE Selection by the American Bookseller's Association Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers, Summer 2006 Notable Books of 2006 by Booklist magazine Finalist for the 2007 Washington State Book Award The Indifferent Stars Above, The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride (2009) 2009 INDIE NEXT NOTABLE Selection (June) by the American Bookseller's Association New York Times Sunday Book Review Editor's Choice (May 10, 2009) Finalist for 2010 Washington State Book Award Was a finalist of 2014 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing in non-fiction category Shortlist for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2013 Notable Books Online 2014 Notable Books Indie Next List for July 2013 2014 Indies Choice/Adult Nonfiction Book of the Year (American Booksellers Association) 2014 Washington State Book Award for Nonfiction 2014 Association des Ecrivains Sportifs, Prix Etranger Sport & Littérature 2015 One Maryland One Book

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