Join writer, broadcaster and blind adventurer Red Szell for the latest episode of AMI-audio’s My Life in Books. Each fortnight, Red invites you to join him in conversation with a renowned author about their work and the books that inspired them to write. For this episode, Red is joined by Marilyn Davidson Elliott, author of The Blind Mechanic. The book chronicles the life of her father, Eric Davidson, one of the most extraordinary survivors of the Halifax Explosion of 1917, which remains the largest non-nuclear man-made explosion in history. It left nearly 2,000 people dead, and 9,000 wounded, many with eye injuries. So many, in fact, that the disaster hastened the formation of the CNIB. Of the people who lost their sight entirely that day, the youngest was two-and-a-half-year-old Eric, who went on to defy both expectation and convention to become a fully qualified automobile mechanic. He was also emblematic of Halifax’s determination to overcome the shock waves. His story and that of the Halifax Explosion have been meticulously researched by Marilyn, and the CELA Library was on hand to ensure that it was recorded as an audiobook. Join Marilyn and Red as they discuss Eric’s quiet determination, astounding automotive ability, and the enduring legacy of the Halifax Explosion.