Daniel James Brown
Historical nonfiction author known for books such as The Indifferent Stars Above and Boys in the Boat, interviewed here about the Donner Party and his research into the tragedy.
Best podcasts with Daniel James Brown
Ranked by the Snipd community
Mar 16, 2026 • 58min
Murder on the California Trail | The Frontier
Daniel James Brown, historical nonfiction author known for The Indifferent Stars Above, discusses the Donner Party tragedy and his personal reasons for researching it. He traces the emigrants’ motives, the influence of guidebooks, Hastings’ Cutoff, the Salt Flats ordeal, entrapment at Donner Pass, the Forlorn Hope snowshoe trek, cannibalism, rescue attempts, and how myth shaped the aftermath.
Oct 27, 2023 • 24min
Books about Olympic rowers and J. Robert Oppenheimer re-examine American history
Daniel James Brown discusses his book 'The Boys in the Boat' about the American rowing team that beat Germany in the 1936 Olympics. Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin talk about 'American Prometheus,' a biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer and his involvement with the Manhattan Project during the anti-communist era.
