Black Wheels

From the Publisher

"Black Wheels", a Young Adult novel penned by Michael Halperin - co-author of the best-selling award winning book for children, Jacob’s Rescue - explores themes of love, bigotry, and military comradeship in late 19th century America. The novel, inspired by a little known event in Black history, follows fifteen-year-old Nat Fowler, an African American boy raised in a predominantly white section of Missouri in the late 1800s, through a series of misfortunes that lead to his running away from home and joining the United States Army.
The real adventure begins when Nat is assigned to the all-black 25th Infantry at Fort Missoula, Montana and becomes part of a unique experiment – the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps. In the corps he receives his first real experiences in racism, bigotry, comradeship, and blossoming teen love while trekking 1900 miles on a historic bicycle journey over mountains, through deserts, swamps, and forests.
Nat serves as the author’s main vehicle for exploring Post Reconstruction, African-American life in the mid-west, while also revealing the true story of an expedition actually taken by the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps. Halperin’s research into this era of American history, along with his emphasis on ordinary people accomplishing the extraordinary combine to weave an expertly crafted novel for today’s young adult readers

Product Description

Nat Fowler, a fifteen year old African-American boy raised on his family farm in a predominately white part of Missouri in the late 1800's, runs away from his family farm when he's accused of a murder and joins the United States Army. He ends up at Fort Missoula, Montana with the all-black 25th Infantry where a white officer organizes the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps. Nat goes on a historic trek by bicycle from Missoula, Montana to St. Louis, Missouri. During the journey he falls in love, discovers bigotry and hatred, finds friends and comrades but also grows up as he enters the 20th century.

Review

Based on a true story, this novel is a gem. The story is well told, and the characters varied and real. There are nuggets of irony throughout...this book will become popular. --- Susan Allen
--VOYA Magazine Review December 2003

From the Inside Flap

"It was heart wrenching for me to 'feel' the struggle of these Black men in 1897 struggling to demonstrate to whites that they were equal human beings… [as] seen through the eyes of a Black teenager…The story also angered me because it is a struggle that still continues today…I enjoyed reading the novel."
Dr. John A. Davis
Chair, African-American Studies
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California
"Michael Halperin has fashioned a well-researched, highly readable story inspired by a little-known and intriguing chapter in American history."
Robert Nelson Jacobs
Academy Award Nominee, screenplay: Chocolat
Screenwriter: The Shipping News
"I thoroughly enjoyed it… [it] handled the whole racist issue in the West and…the changing and unchanging attitudes…the men's travails made fascinating reading…"
Robert M. Brown, Executive Director
Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, Montana
"With charm and skill, Michael Halperin has turned a unique episode in American military history into a moving metaphor for racial tolerance and human understanding."
Graham Masteron
Author Young Adult book series: "Rook"

About the Author

Michael Halperin is an author, playwright and motion picture and television writer. He co-authored the best-selling children's novel "Jacob's Rescue: A Holocaust Story" and has authored several books for writers: "Writing the Killer Treatment"; "Writing the Second Act"; and "Writing Great Characters". Halperin teaches screenwriting and communications at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California.