Arts & Entertainment
Patrick Gray & Justin Skeesuck win Christopher Award
The winning book, "I'll Push You," by Eagle-based writers, will be celebrated at The Christophers' 69th annual gala in NYC on May 19.
Eagle, Idaho-based authors Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck have won a Christopher Award for I’ll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends, and One Wheelchair (Tyndale House Publishers). It is one of 12 books for adults and young people by 19 authors and illustrators to be celebrated on May 17, 2018 at the 69th annual Christopher Awards in New York along with the writers, producers and directors of 9 feature films and TV/Cable programs.
In the book the two fathers of three and best friends for 40 years go on the legendary Camino de Santiago pilgrimage--the Way of St. James--over the Pyrenees and through the desert, a 34-day journey that people have made since the Middle Ages. Skeesuck, confined to a wheelchair, has Multifocal Acquired Motor Axonopathy, [MAMA], a neurological disease which doesn't let him use his arms and legs. The book chronicles the physical struggles and spiritual fruits of the voyage they made together. They also wrote a children's book, "The Push"—and are keynote speakers using their life/work experiences and their adventures to explore concepts such as leadership, teamwork, relationships, and the power of the human collective. They are also the subjects of the award-wining documentary by the same title.
The Christopher Awards were created in 1949 to celebrate authors, illustrators, writers, producers and directors whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit.” The Christophers, a nonprofit organization founded in 1945 by Maryknoll Father James Keller, is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity. The ancient Chinese proverb—“It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness”— guides its publishing, radio, and awards programs. More information about The Christophers is available at www.christophers.org.