The World's Fastest Man

The Extraordinary Life of Cyclist Major Taylor, America's First Black Sports Hero

Nonfiction, Sports, Cycling, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century, Military
Cover of the book The World's Fastest Man by Michael Kranish, Scribner
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael Kranish ISBN: 9781501192616
Publisher: Scribner Publication: May 7, 2019
Imprint: Scribner Language: English
Author: Michael Kranish
ISBN: 9781501192616
Publisher: Scribner
Publication: May 7, 2019
Imprint: Scribner
Language: English

In the tradition of The Boys in the Boat and Seabiscuit, a fascinating portrait of a groundbreaking but forgotten figure—the remarkable Major Taylor, the black man who broke racial barriers by becoming the world’s fastest and most famous bicyclist at the height of the Jim Crow era.

In the 1890s, the nation’s promise of equality had failed spectacularly. While slavery had ended with the Civil War, the Jim Crow laws still separated blacks from whites, and the excesses of the Gilded Age created an elite upper class. Amidst this world arrived Major Taylor, a young black man who wanted to compete in the nation’s most popular and mostly white man’s sport, cycling. Birdie Munger, a white cyclist who once was the world’s fastest man, declared that he could help turn the young black athlete into a champion.

Twelve years before boxer Jack Johnson and fifty years before baseball player Jackie Robinson, Taylor faced racism at nearly every turn—especially by whites who feared he would disprove their stereotypes of blacks. In The World’s Fastest Man, years in the writing, investigative journalist Michael Kranish reveals new information about Major Taylor based on a rare interview with his daughter and other never-before-uncovered details from Taylor’s life. Kranish shows how Taylor indeed became a world champion, traveled the world, was the toast of Paris, and was one of the most chronicled black men of his day.

From a moment in time just before the arrival of the automobile when bicycles were king, the populace was booming with immigrants, and enormous societal changes were about to take place, The World’s Fastest Man shines a light on a dramatic moment in American history—the gateway to the twentieth century.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the tradition of The Boys in the Boat and Seabiscuit, a fascinating portrait of a groundbreaking but forgotten figure—the remarkable Major Taylor, the black man who broke racial barriers by becoming the world’s fastest and most famous bicyclist at the height of the Jim Crow era.

In the 1890s, the nation’s promise of equality had failed spectacularly. While slavery had ended with the Civil War, the Jim Crow laws still separated blacks from whites, and the excesses of the Gilded Age created an elite upper class. Amidst this world arrived Major Taylor, a young black man who wanted to compete in the nation’s most popular and mostly white man’s sport, cycling. Birdie Munger, a white cyclist who once was the world’s fastest man, declared that he could help turn the young black athlete into a champion.

Twelve years before boxer Jack Johnson and fifty years before baseball player Jackie Robinson, Taylor faced racism at nearly every turn—especially by whites who feared he would disprove their stereotypes of blacks. In The World’s Fastest Man, years in the writing, investigative journalist Michael Kranish reveals new information about Major Taylor based on a rare interview with his daughter and other never-before-uncovered details from Taylor’s life. Kranish shows how Taylor indeed became a world champion, traveled the world, was the toast of Paris, and was one of the most chronicled black men of his day.

From a moment in time just before the arrival of the automobile when bicycles were king, the populace was booming with immigrants, and enormous societal changes were about to take place, The World’s Fastest Man shines a light on a dramatic moment in American history—the gateway to the twentieth century.

More books from Scribner

Cover of the book Death and the Chaste Apprentice by Michael Kranish
Cover of the book Napoleon by Michael Kranish
Cover of the book Equal of the Sun by Michael Kranish
Cover of the book The Jewish Wedding Now by Michael Kranish
Cover of the book My Own Country by Michael Kranish
Cover of the book Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty by Michael Kranish
Cover of the book The Badlands Saloon by Michael Kranish
Cover of the book Singularity by Michael Kranish
Cover of the book The Reckoning by Michael Kranish
Cover of the book An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by Michael Kranish
Cover of the book Her Fearful Symmetry by Michael Kranish
Cover of the book Let Me Explain You by Michael Kranish
Cover of the book Washington by Michael Kranish
Cover of the book The Dangerous Summer by Michael Kranish
Cover of the book Voice Lessons for Parents by Michael Kranish
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy