Daniel James Brown’s irresistible and poignant book “The Boys in the Boat” is the topic of discussion when Brown presents the Jefferson County Library’s 2016 Huntingford Humanities Lecture. The event begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27 at the Chimacum High School auditorium, 91 West Valley Road, Chimacum.

A compelling and beautifully written narrative, “The Boys in the Boat” is a portrait of an era, a celebration of a historic achievement and the chronicle of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest. It also celebrates the 1936 U.S. men’s Olympic eight-oar rowing team and its triumph at Hitler’s Olympics.

Gordon Adam, Chuck Day, Don Hume, George “Shorty” Hunt, Jim “Stub” McMillin, Bob Moch, Roger Morris, Joe Rantz and John White Jr. were the boys in the boat, the University of Washington’s 1936 crew, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans in the depths of the Depression.

In writing the story, Brown drew from the boys’ own diaries and journals, their photos and memories. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers and farmers, the boys defeated rivals from East Coast and British universities and finally, the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler at the Olympic Games in Berlin.

On the New York Times best-seller list for more than two years, Brown’s extremely popular book remains no. 1 on the list for paperback nonfiction. Timothy Egan, author of “The Worst Hard Time,” says of Brown, “Every sport needs its laureate. With ‘The Boys in the Boat,’ crew has found its voice in Daniel James Brown … packed with suspense and a likable bunch of underdogs at the heart of an improbable triumph.” Rights to the book have been purchased by the Weinstein Co. for development as a feature film.

Brown says he fell in love with the written word when he was 5 and his mother first read “Danny and the Dinosaur” to him. Since then, he has earned a B.A. in English from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.A. in English from UCLA. He taught writing at San Jose State University and Stanford University, and has previously written two other titles: “Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894” (2006) and “The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride” (2009). He lives near Seattle with his wife and an assortment of cats, dogs, chickens and honeybees.

The Huntingford Humanities Lecture was established in 2001 in memory of Sara L. “Sally” Huntingford. Huntingford was a longtime supporter of the Jefferson County Library. The library district was formed in 1978, thanks in part to her efforts. As a teacher and mother, Huntingford understood the importance of opening the door of learning to people who lived in isolated, rural areas. She realized that quality library service was the key to that door.

All are welcome at this free event. Seating is limited; doors open at 6 p.m.

For more information about this program, visit

jclibrary.info or call 385-6544.