The Great Chattanooga Bicycle Race, by Mike Mizrah {a book review}

About the book

Chattanooga society is turned upside down as a young woman has the audacity to ride a bicycle–in bloomers!

It’s 1895. Anna Gaines, 19, struggles to conquer her insecurities after a horrible fall years ago from her beloved horse, Longstreet. On a visit with her aunt in Brooklyn, she’s drawn to the new pastime of bicycling. But back at home, cycling is a scandalous sport for a proper lady. Southern women did not engage in activities meant for men.

Anna has her eye on Peter Sawyer, president of the Cycling Club. As community outrage grows, an unexpected turn of events pits Anna against Peter in a race between the sexes.

Will Anna prove that women deserve the same right as men to ride “the wheel?” Will she choose to live a quiet, traditional life of a housewife and mother? Or will she pursue college and become one of the “new women” emerging into the twentieth century on the seat of a bicycle? What will become of the spark between Anna and Peter?

Faith, patience, and courage help Anna to become the person she was meant to be.

What I thought about the book

I enjoy history...in case I haven't said that before on my blog. Two things that attracted me to this book: bicycles, and Chattanooga.

My oldest son used to be really in to bicycling, but isn't so much any more. Last year my two teens did a lot of bicycling with our church group. They even did a 50-mile bike ride one Sunday.

I know the Chattanooga area well. I attended a boarding school nearby by during my high school years, and we have a Seventh-day Adventist university in the area as well.

I found it fascinating to learn about the history of cycling, along with the fight for women's rights in the late 1800s. If you have an interest in history, cycling, the historical fight for women's rights, you will want to check out this book.

About the author

Mike Mizrahi has a master’s degree in public relations, advertising, and applied communication from Boston University. After a career in corporate public affairs, he retired to pursue writing. After a mission trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, he wrote his first novel, Kabirizi’s Revenge, and is also the author of The Unnamed Girl. Mike and his wife Karen live in Woodland Hills, Calif., where the couple raised their two adult children, and he enjoys reading and writing.

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Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity in order to give you my honest opinion.

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