Research Catalog

Major : a black athlete, a White era, and the fight to be the world's fastest human being

Title

Major : a black athlete, a White era, and the fight to be the world's fastest human being / Todd Balf.

Author

Balf, Todd.

Publication

New York : Crown Publishers, c2008.

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schomburg Center to submit a request in person.	Text	Use in library	Sc E 08-610	Schomburg Center - Research & Reference

Details

Description

306 p. : ill.; 24 cm.

Summary

At the turn of the 20th century, hundreds of handsome, lightning-fast racers won the hearts and minds of a bicycling-crazed public. Scientists studied them, newspapers glorified them, and millions of dollars in purse money was awarded to them. Major Taylor aimed to be the fastest of them all. A prominent black man at a time when such a thing was deemed scandalous, his mounting victories, high moral virtue, and bulletlike riding style made him a target for ridicule from the press and sabotage by the white riders who shared the track with him. This is the account of a fierce rivalry that would become an archetypal tale of white versus black in the 20th century. But it is also the tale of our nation's first black sports celebrity--a man who transcended the handicaps of race at the turn of the century to reach the stratosphere of fame.--From publisher description.

Subjects

Bibliography (note)