Ming Chen, Wah Chen & Carmen Vela: One Day We Had to Run

In their book Escape, authors Ming Chen and Wah Chen have drawn out powerful true stories of escape from around the world and throughout history. In this event, filmed for the 2021 Edinburgh International Book Festival, the authors bring to life two of these stories. The first is the incredible story of Syrian sisters who fled their home country in a small, packed boat. When the crossing got too rough, the sisters entered the water and miraculously swam the boat, and all the people in it, to safety. One of those sisters went on to be an Olympic swimmer. The second story is that of Bonnie Prince Charlie, a near-folkloric Scottish historical icon who donned a cunning disguise to flee the nation in 1746, following the crushing defeat of the Jacobite rebellion. On so many occasions, ordinary people have been forced to leave their families and homes because of war, famine, slavery, intolerance, climate change, or economic and political upheaval. Escape shines a light on these incredible people and the strength they have found to escape. This event, like the book, is accompanied by gorgeous illustrations by Carmen Vela.

This is a pre-recorded event from the 2021 Edinburgh International Book Festival.