About the Book
“The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics” is an uplifting and fast-paced Cinderella story.
This nonfiction work describes the journey of nine working class young men from the University of Washington as they row their way out of obscurity and into the gold-medal race at the 1936 Olympic Games in Hitler’s Berlin. The story of poor, twice-orphaned Joe Rantz anchors this cinematic tale of passion and perseverance set against the struggles of the Great Depression and a looming Second World War. Drawing on interviews, journals and period photographs, Brown tells the fascinating story of these unlikely American heroes.
The book’s publisher calls “The Boys in the Boat” an “irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times.”
About the Author
Daniel Brown grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended Diablo Valley College, the University of California at Berkeley and UCLA. He taught writing at San Jose State University and Stanford before becoming a technical writer and editor. He now lives outside of Seattle, Washington and writes narrative nonfiction full time.
Brown’s book, “Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894” was named by the American Library Association as one of the best books of 2006. He is also author of the 2009 work, “The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride.”
Biographical info from danieljamesbrown.com and the Books & Authors Database.