Thursday, June 24, 2010

Chariots to China


I've been reading about Eric Liddell, who, as I'm sure you remember, became a national disgrace in the 1924 Paris Olympics when he refused to run on a Sunday. Disqualifying himself from the finals, Britain's hope of a medal was sacrificed as well. But the thinly veiled criticism in the press turned to sensational acclaim when Eric entered--and won--a race for which he was completely untrained, finishing a full five meters ahead of the favorite.

But this book and another, called Eric Liddell, isn't so much about his races, as about his life. He is described by some as a "saint". He went from being an incredible athlete, to being an incredible missionary to his homeland, China. I had always thought he was a single, but no, he had a beautiful wife, Flo, and two little girls. A sad part of his story is that while he was interred with over 300 others in China, his wife Flo gave birth to their third daughter in Scotland. He never saw her this side of heaven because he died of a brain tumor while a prisoner in China.

Chariots to China is a story for children describing one incident -- and scary adventure -- in Eric's missionary career. This incident was referred to in the book Eric Liddell, a book written especially for young people - and old people! It's a wonderful book! Check it out!

1 comment:

Jim said...

I'm in the middle of watching Eric Liddell: Champion of Conviction. I recommend it - they did some great research. We actually have a bit of a family connection to Eric.

Oh, another winner is A Boy's War, which also talks about Eric Liddell and his time in the prison camp from a unique perspective.