Writing a book was never something Marilyn Elliott imagined she’d do – it was something she felt compelled to do.
Her father, Eric Davidson, lost his sight at just two-years-old in the Halifax Explosion. For years, Marilyn felt his story deserved to be told. In her forties, she came to realize she was the one meant to tell it.
Knowing her father’s humble and private nature, Marilyn waited until after his passing to begin the book.
Through research, archived records, and family documents carefully saved by her mother, Marilyn uncovered new layers of her father’s life. Files from the Halifax Relief Commission gave her a glimpse into the immediate aftermath of the explosion and the struggles Eric’s family endured.
“My dad wasn’t timid. He wanted to do everything other boys were doing, said Marilyn.
Eric was a licensed auto mechanic; a job many people, at the time, believed was impossible for someone who was blind.
“There was a belief that if you were blind, you were uneducated,” Marilyn explains. It’s a misconception she still sees today, and one she hopes her father’s story helps to dismantle.
Marilyn’s book about her father, titled The Blind Mechanic, was published in 2018.
“If people take one thing away from my father’s story, it’s this: you can do anything if you set your mind to it. There’s almost always a way.”
It’s a message that resonates far beyond the pages of her book, and one that feels especially fitting on World Book Day.
Building on her father’s legacy, Marilyn continues to give back through her involvement with CNIB. She is passionate about the role books play in building connection and understanding, particularly for people with sight loss.
“If you don’t have access to books, you’re denied so much,” said Marilyn. “Without books, your understanding of yourself and the world is limited. Books are almost as important as air.”
Marilyn is now working on a new non-fiction project about the Richmond community in Halifax, another story shaped by history and resilience.
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The Blind Mechanic: The Amazing Story of Eric Davidson, Survivor of the 1917 Halifax Explosion is available on Amazon in paperback and audio.