Daniel James Brown wrote the New York Times #1 bestseller The Boys in the Boat. He grew up with stories of the Hinckley firestorm ringing in his ears. His great-grandfather died in the fire, while his grandfather and great-grandmother escaped on a burning train. Brown retired from Microsoft Corporation. Before working at Microsoft, he taught writing at San Jose State University and Stanford University, and is the coauthor of two textbooks on writing. He lives in the country east of Redmond, Washington, with his wife and two daughters.
Illustrated with period pictures, this deft slice of regional history will attract disaster and weather buffs as well as fans of Norman Maclean's standout Young Men and Fire -- Publisher's Weekly ...[a] worthy addition to this genre...a compelling read... ...the power of the stories and Brown's imaginative skill retelling them [pulls] us in... --MN Star Tribune Riveting, moving, white-knuckle reading to rank with classic accounts of the perfect storm , Krakatoa, and other storied calamities -- Booklist