Proceeds from book sales to help disabled children learn to ride bikes
Part 2 of an
interview with Mike H. Mizrahi,
Author of The Great Chattanooga Bicycle Race
A firestorm
ignites, pitting a few progressive thinkers against a city full of moralists
intent on clinging to their post-Antebellum way of life. Anna finds herself in
the middle of an explosive controversy she never envisioned. She is pitted
against Peter Sawyer, the Cycle Club president who silently harbors a crush for
her, in a five-mile bicycle race that will decide if women have the same
capabilities as men to ride.
In
addition to an entertaining story and a glimpse into history, Mizrahi hopes
readers will see growing into the person he or she longs to become requires
patience and courage in the shadows of adversity.
Q: Your leading lady, Anna, is
described as an introvert, but she did something seemingly out of her nature.
What exactly did she do, and what inspired her to break out of her shell and
try something new?
Anna
declares war on the childhood insecurities she is carrying into young
adulthood. At 13, a fall from her horse resulted in a broken leg, a permanent
limp and a shattered self-image. Now 19, Anna starts her emotional
rehabilitation by moving from the family farm into a women’s boardinghouse in
the city. An expert seamstress from years of self-imposed social confinement,
she lands a job at Loveman’s Department Store and gets her first taste of
freedom. It’s really the accomplishment of Annie Londonderry, a mother of three
in her mid-20s, that breaks the chains binding Anna. On a visit with her aunt
in Brooklyn, Anna learns that this adventurer is finishing a bicycle ride
around the world . . . clad in bloomers. Anna’s aunt, a college professor,
takes Anna to a riding school, where she takes to “the wheel.” A second taste
of freedom on the bicycle leads her to stand against an entire community
determined to keep such inappropriate behavior from their streets.
Q: Tell us about your partnership with
iCan Shine.
I
will be donating 50% of the proceeds from the sale of each book to iCan Shine,
Inc., an international 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization that teaches
children, teens and young adults with disabilities to ride a conventional
two-wheel bicycle. iCan Shine conducts more than 100 five-day programs in 35 US
states and four provinces in Canada, serving approximately 3,000 people with
disabilities each year.
I
hope to help provide those with disabilities the chance to discover they’re a
natural on the “wheel,” much like Anna from the book. Imagine the smiles on the
faces of kids and young adults with disabilities as they experience a newfound
freedom on the seat of a two-wheeler, just like Anna found the same
independence on the seat of a bicycle. The tie-in is perfect.
You
can learn more about iCan Shine at www.iCanShine.org.
Q: As a writer, you plan to write in
the historical genre, at least for now. What drew you to write about life at
the turn of the 20th century?
I
had an idea for a different book, which I still intend to write, about the era
of Yellow Journalism (circa 1900-03). So much change was in the air, much like
today. Industrialization created a massive shift in America from an agrarian to
a more urban society; this brought about increased opportunities for men and women
to attend school and take jobs outside the home. The nation experienced a
massive wave of immigration, people from every nation seeking the ideals of
liberty and opportunity. Sensational news coverage, particularly from New York,
distorted the information Americans were reading, much like today. However we
were still a country of strong faith, and family was the backbone of our
culture, all of which attracts me as a writer of historical fiction.
Q: You didn’t write your first novel
until after you retired. Have you always had the bug to write? If so, why did
you wait so long to get started?
Yes,
the bug burrowed deep inside me long ago. I’ve been writing since high school,
in one form or another. Take songwriting, one of my favorite pastimes. It’s a
puzzle, crafting words that tuck neatly into the melody of the song. At the
same time, the lyrics must tell a story or express an idea that moves the
listener. Anyway, having pursued a career in journalism and corporate public
relations, I thought writing a book would be the next frontier. I guess the
busyness of life got in the way; then I noticed one morning the kids are grown
and gone, and I’m about to retire. However, it wasn’t until Karen and I
returned from a mission trip to Africa in 2013 that I got the idea for my first
manuscript. Looking back, I wish I had taken the plunge long before, but God
willing there’s much more ahead.
Q: The
Great Chattanooga Bicycle Race is the first book you have published but was
not the first book you ever wrote. Tell us about the experience that inspired
you to write your first novel.
We
went with a handful of members from our church to the Democratic Republic of
Congo to teach business and education principles. One day while taking a break
outside the church where we taught, a woman asked about the large gathering
inside. She wore western clothing and appeared to be in her late 20s. As it
turned out, she was born in Bunia, the city we were in, but she left to attend
college in San Francisco, became a social worker and never came back. I asked
if she ever would. She said she was thinking about it, and I told her Bunia
needed her. Just then a man on a motorbike pulled up, and she got on and waved
goodbye. Three months later I had a 90,000-word manuscript about an African-American
social worker who returns to her city of birth to see her dying father and is
caught up in a rebel attack. The story involves a great chase through Virunga Nation
Park, the gorilla mountains.
Q: What piece of inspirational wisdom
do you hope readers ride away with after reading The Great Chattanooga Bicycle Race?
True
and lasting joy comes not from things or experiences, but from what we hold in
our hearts as excellent, praiseworthy, just and pure. To grow into the person
we long to become requires patience and courage in the shadows of adversity. Having
the courage to conquer our inner doubts and pursue our dreams can transform us
and those around us — even change history.
To keep up
with Mike H. Mizrahi, visit www.mikehmizrahi.com. You can also
follow him on Facebook (AuthorMikeMizrahi) and Twitter (@MikeHMiz).
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