Book excerpt: Black Mahler dramatically brings to life the true story of all but forgotten, English composer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912). Born to a white mother and black father and raised in the London suburb of Croydon, Coleridge's titanic, choral trilogy, 'Hiawatha' makes this funny, generous and modest young man a worldwide sensation - overnight. Although hailed a cultural hero by African-Americans, Coleridge struggles against financial ruin, personal tragedy and seismic obstacles throughout his short life. Along the way, he unites a world. This moving, human life story will haunt the memory long after the final page is turned.