Major: A Black Athlete, A White Era,and the Fight to be the World's Fastest Human Being by Todd Balf

Marshall Major Taylor was one of the United States most unlikely heroes. During an era of Jim Crow laws and lynching, Taylor managed to rise to the top of America’s favorite new sport to become the “fastest man alive”. Despite racial injustice and setbacks, he never lost his dignity, moral virtue or his love for the sport of bicycle racing. This is a classic underdog story detailing the life of a little known American hero.