Daniel James Brown

Digital audiobook narrated by Michael Prichard

Subtitle: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride

Brown looks at the events that led to and resulted from the infamous Donner Party trapped in a blizzard in the mountains near present day Lake Tahoe. I think that most people today have at least heard of the Donner Party, and for most of us the single thing we remember is their descent into cannibalism, but Brown gives us a more complete picture. We learn of their goals, hopes, and dreams, of their preparations and survival skills. We also learn about their mistakes and disagreements.

He chose to focus on one particular young woman, Sarah Graves, who was a 21-year-old newlywed when the group, which included her new husband, her parents and younger siblings, set out from Illinois bound for California, and who survived the ordeal. Brown did extensive research, interviewing descendants, pouring over historical reports, and actually replicating parts of the journey so that he could get a real sense of walking through waist-high fields of prairie grasses, experience the blinding whiteness of walking across salt flats in summer, feel the bitter wind of a snowstorm in the mountains. This made the tale more personal, even visceral, and helped this reader feel connected to Sarah and the entire Donner party.

Michael Prichard does a marvelous job of performing the audiobook. Nonfiction – even narrative nonfiction – can be dry at times but his delivery kept me engaged and interested in hearing the story.… (mehr)

The tragedy of the Donner Party of 1846 has been told numerous times in varying degrees of research and detail. In this 2010 version, Brown opts to narrate this disaster and survival story from the perspective of Sarah Graves, a new bride traveling west with her family and her new husband. They make the catastrophic choice to join up with another trail party whose fate would still be remembered with a shudder more than 150 years later.

Brown has presented a thoroughly researched, balanced and well-written portrayal of the circumstances, personalities, decisions and aftermath. It's funny — this is the fourth Donner Party narrative I've read now, and in each instance there has been a fanciful part of my brain that feels hopeful that *this time* they will make different choices that lead to a less tragic outcome. Alas, that never happens. I do feel rather an expert now on the subject, though.… (mehr)

This book was recommended to me by a friend in GoodReads. I was looking for captivating non-fiction, and this one fit the bill perfectly. It's all about the Boys in the Boat who went on to win the 8-Man Rowing competition at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. These young man captured my heart as they captured the hearts of all Americans during a dark time in history. While I was learning an awflul lot about rowing and the commitment that it takes to become a professional rower, I also was reacquainted with the entire world as it went through the Great Depression and also the world as it was during the lead-up to the Second World War. While the Boys in the Boat were trying to win championships, there were dark tidings overseas in Germany. What I wasn't aware of was that Hitler's goal in going after the Olympics for 1936 was setting the stage for the biggest "bait and switch" con ever committed. None of the participating countries were actually aware of what was going on in Germany when the Olympics were held there in 1936. I listened to this book on audiobook and found it extremely gripping. Edward Harrimann does an excellent job narrating this book. As I listened I realized that the training that young rowers go through in some of the most awful conditions, gives new meaning to the words "True Grit" . I highly recommend this book. If you are new to non-fiction it would be a good place to start as it reads like the best adventure fiction. You will come to know and love these nine young men and to cheer as loud for them as if you were at one of their regattas. Highly recommend.… (mehr)

As a fan of all things sports, I love rooting for the underdog. And “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown is the epitome of the underdog story. By the end, you’ll feel like you know the nine college students that made up the University of Washington’s 1936 crew team and you’ll be cheering as they row their way to victory over the Nazis at the Berlin Olympics.

Joe Rantz is the heart of this story as it’s his life experiences that are woven into all the details throughout the University of Washington crew team’s journey to the Olympics. He’ll introduce you to the other boys in the boat, the sport of rowing, what life was like during the Great Depression, and how the team overcame immense obstacles in competition to become gold medalists.

Before picking this book up, I knew nothing about the sport of rowing. My knowledge of the 1936 Berlin Olympics was limited to the four gold medals Jesse Owens won in track and field. Plus, all I knew about the Great Depression was what I was taught in school. The way in which “The Boys in the Boat” expanded what I knew about each is why this is one of my go-to recommendations.

“The Boys in the Boat” is about beating the odds, finding hope in desperate times, and how a group of ordinary college boys trying to survive did the extraordinary. Whether you’re a sports fan or not, this is a story worth discovering more about.… (mehr)