Book Log 2008 #30: Major by Todd Balf

In a time where cycling is hardly a blip on the American sporting landscape, it's hard to believe that there was a point in our history where cycling was a major draw. Even harder to believe is that, for a period of time around the turn of the 20th century, the most successful rider was African-American. But both are apparently true, as demonstrated in this combination of biography and sport/social history.

Race is an obvious theme of the book, given the unlikely nature of Taylor becoming a star at a time when African Americans were banned from baseball (it helped that Taylor could race abroad, where cycling was also big and race not as much of an issue). But it's also the story of an athlete looking to reach the pinnacle of performance and success, and the ways in which that can shape and change the athlete's life. The story is spiced up by the influence of Taylor's mentor, bicycle builder Birdie Munger, and main rival Floyd McFarland.

A few years ago I read a "biography" of Honus Wagner that was more about the Pirates than Wagner himself, substituting his personal history with a year by year account of the team and how Wagner fared for the season. I worried about something similar here, but was happily proven wrong. A recommended read if you want something sporty but different.