For all Elisabeth Elliot fans, this book is a very thorough look at her life from childhood to adulthood to her older years. The author goes into immense detail!

This book hands down is one of my favorite books I have read this year. I do not even know where to begin.

This story is one of Gods calling, His Grace, and most importantly of forgiveness.

Ellen Vaughn is such a talented well written author. Her use of pictures and journal entries from Jim, Elisabeth, and all those in ministry with then is just stunning. It is one thing to read her impeccable descriptions of places or things but, to follow it up with a picture is incredible.

I thought it was very important that Ellen showed the parallels of what was going on in the lives of Elisabeth and the missionaries as well as, what was going on back home with WWII. Helps to really picture the time period when all these things were happening. Not only did Ellen give the events of the world but, also each person that came into the story you learned of their story as well like where they came from and the journey that got them where they crossed paths with Elisabeth.

Elisabeth Elliot saw a lot of death in her life but, she also got to see a lot of life and to me that is so beautiful.

I cannot wait to pick up more books about Elisabeth and Jim Elliot. I also cannot wait for the next book Ellen writes which she eludes to in this one.

#NetGalley #BecomingElisabethElliot #Christian #nonfiction

This was such a great read. The book discusses Elisabeth’s (aka Betty) life as a child up through adulthood, her marriage to Jim, and life after Jim. She is such an inspiring woman of faith. Above all else Elisabeth wanted to honor the Lord in all that she did. Her journal entries portray her unwavering faith in the Lord and how desperate she was to abandon everything else, even her own life, to do His will and bring Him glory. Many people, including Elisabeth’s own family members doubted her decisions but she knew wholeheartedly that she was doing what God called her to do. The book goes into detail about the Waodoni Tribe that both Jim and Elisabeth ministered to in Ecuador. Elisabeth felt called to work with this tribe after her husband’s death. Once again, showing her unwavering faith and call to serve the Lord. I highly recommend this book. It was very inspiring and also challenged me in my walk with the Lord. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I did not have high expectations when I started this book. However, it was much better than I expected. The author was given access to "Betty" Elliot's journals, which can lead to a form of voyeurism. However, the introspective look at Elliot's life was instrumental in the portrait of a real person with desires and aspirations who devotes herself to following the will of God. Elisabeth Elliot could easily be portrayed as a saintly hero who was barely human. Rather, in this book we meet Betty Elliot who longs to marry and suffers through a 5 year, on and off engagement. She is a woman who suffers greatly after the death of her husband, yet has the drive and courage to return to the forest to bring the gospel to the tribe which was responsible for his death.
The book was enlightening about the real work of a missionary. Elliot delayed going the the tribe until they met some women who helped them learn the language. Much of her work as a missionary was translating a language which had no relationship to any modern languages. A humorous passage describes the patience that she had to endure to just get the meaning of one word. The book also portrays the humanity of missionaries who are susceptible to pride and turf wars. Elliot eventually left the tribe because she could not work with Rachael Saint, the sister of one of the murdered missionaries, who became impossible to work with.
I enjoyed the book much more than I expected to. It is uplifting without being preachy. It demonstrated what it really means to die to self in order to serve Christ.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Elisabeth Elliot is one person who, though I never had the privilege to meet, has greatly influenced my life. Through Gates of Splendor was given to me by fellow church members just before I traveled to Brazil to work with long term workers there in 2011. Her insights in works such as Passion and Purity and Keep a Quiet Heart spurred me on in my love for the Lord and others. She has always seemed to me a true heroine of the faith and a larger than life woman. All of this means I came into this book with a certain perspective that I have built as I’ve spent time with Elisabeth through her books.
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My verdict after reading this is that I am simply amazed and more grateful than ever for the life she lived. Ellen Vaughn is a master story teller who desires to tell the truth about Elisabeth Elliot and the events of her life without resorting to sentimentality or exaggeration. Drawing heavily from "Betty's" journals and letters as well as interviews with people who knew her, Vaughn begins with childhood, walks us through Elisabeth Howard's formative years, her courtship with Jim, and her time with the Waodani after his death. Though I’ve been influenced by Elisabeth Elliot’s story and writing, there was so much covered in this new biography that I did not know.
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The image portrayed in Becoming Elisabeth Elliot is one of a human woman with interpersonal struggles, doubts, and desires for comfort. But it is also a portrait of a woman who decided early on that obedience to the Lord was worth any cost. If He called her to do something, the matter was settled.
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“For Elisabeth, as for all of us, the most dramatic chapters may well be less significant than the daily faithfulness that traces the brave trajectory of a human life radically submitted to Christ.”
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Easily my favorite new release of the year.
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Whether you're familiar with Elisabeth's story and writings or not, this book would be a great starting point to learning more about this ordinary woman whose life was used extraordinarily by God. Highly recommend.
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My sincerest thanks to NetGalley and B&H Publishing group for the review copy. I cannot wait to get my hands on the finished product. Out September 15!

The day Elisabeth Elliot died, I cried. It's strange, but it happens to me with some people. Not because I idolize or miss them, but because I am grateful that there has been a life like this, not perfect, but inspiring and exemplary that pointed to Christ, His Word and the eternal. I did not know her, I never saw her in person, but her words (spoken, written), her ideas, and testimony have had a great impact on my life. Her life and that of other women simply shocks me, intrigues me, fills me with questions, and also with hope. I would not say that this book is "inspiring" (Joni Eareckson Tada's foreword yes), but although it did not inspire me much (like others by Elisabeth herself), I do admit that it answered several questions from Elisabeth and Jim, it also left me many loose ends and many other questions in the air. I think the author did it on purpose, and out of respect, as if leaving it up to the reader to connect the dots. The vulnerability and humanity of these people is on every page, so God shines brighter. I am looking forward to the second part of this book (which is already promised). I am so grateful for the time that this writer, Ellen Vaughn took to get this book in print ... also for the opportunity to review it in advance of its release, it's an honor. I hope my daughter meets these types of women, not only in books but in real life, it is one of my prayers, among other list of names. And may she also be a woman who points others to Christ.

Becoming Elisabeth Elliot is an eye opening and refreshing look at the sometimes elusive and picture perfect hero of the faith. Reading many of Elliot’s books everything was centered around God and doing his will. This book gives the reader insight into how Elisabeth Elliot matured and developed into a woman who abandoned her thoughts, emotions and will to pursuing the call the Lord had on her life. I love how Ellen Vaughn not only gives history about Elliot but also about the different people she comes in contact with throughout the book. The people she interacts with and her journal entries help bring to life a real young woman struggling with figuring out what life she is called to lead to bring glory to God. Her life beautifully illustrates that in all things the Lord has a plan and purpose and they are not thwarted as a person seeks to do his ultimate will. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this engaging biography.

Living a Christ like life is known only to you and God. Elisabeth Elliot decided to follow the path of a Missionary life and teach the Word of the Lord to those in need. She joined ranks with her God-fearing new husband a devoted Missionary of Christ, Jim Elliot.
Unfortunately, Missionary work can be arduous, illnesses, even life threatening. Five Missionaries were to lose their lives in the pursuit of teaching the Bible to a very dangerous tribe, and Jim Elliot was amongst those losing their lives. Elisabeth instead of being fearful turned her fears to the Lord and did something so phenomenal that some people berated her and felt she was not only reckless with her life, but her & Jim’s young daughter.

The author or biographer takes you on a journey of passion of Elisabeth spiritual discovery and strength she found in her love of the Lord that this book had me in tears at several pivotal points!

In order to truly appreciate the next discoveries, I do not want to reveal because I think it will take away from fellow readers! I just know that I have had several issues recently questioning my faith and this book has just renewed my spirit and strength in my life and that I truly need to trust in the Lord and the Spirit. The Lord is here for me , but I have to open my heart!

What a powerful message and amazing story that was written! Thank you 🙏

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Having read (and in some cases reread) at least 15 of Elisabeth Elliot’s books, I requested a review copy of Becoming Elisabeth Elliot as soon as I learned of its existence – and I’m so glad I did! Though I’m no stranger to Elisabeth’s story, Ellen Vaughn’s brand-new biography fit the pieces together and filled in gaps in the story in a way that was satisfying and informative.

This book doesn’t attempt to be warm and fuzzy, nor is it about hero-worship – but neither is it a “witch hunt,” trying to discredit a woman whom many respect. In creating this biography, Vaughn had the weighty privilege of access to Elisabeth’s own journals. I did not get the sense that she was being voyeuristic, but rather that she was fleshing out Elisabeth and especially the secondary characters in her story as real and at times flawed people, while still treating them with respect and dignity.

Experiencing Elisabeth’s story this way affected me personally. As I read, I thought, “I’m not alone” and “It’s okay for me to be so idealistic!” Ellen’s work also underscored the life-changing message I had learned from Elisabeth in the past: This life of discipleship is a chance to die to self. We can approach these deaths matter-of-factly, avoiding the sink-hole of self-pity, while still acknowledging their cost. We encounter a lot of mystery about why God called us and what the results have been, but as long as we’re obedient, we can count our efforts successful. In addition, Joni Eareckson Tada’s introduction reminded me, as well, that it’s the sweetness and beauty of Jesus that makes this life much more than worthwhile.

This book is for Elisabeth Elliot fans, certainly, but also for anyone who has suffered and is asking “Why?” It’s also for anyone who would like to try out a life of obeying Jesus, but isn’t sure it’s for ordinary people. (It is! For ordinary, passionate, humorous, incisive, idealistic restless, finite people like Elisabeth Elliot – and for other ordinary people like you and me.)

I’m looking forward to reading the second volume of this biography when it comes out in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley for the digital ARC.

Becoming Elisabeth Elliot is solidly written and compelling account of the Elliot's early life and ministry (with a second volume potentially on the way).

Primarily based on the unpublished diaries of Betty Elliot, Ellen Vaughn has skillfully chosen a selection of extracts which highlight her story. Unlike many biographies, this steers well clear of hagiography. Elliot comes across as very human, living with uncertainty and confusion as she struggles with God's plan with her.

This book is definitely aimed at a particular market. I found it an encouraging and inspiring book, but its themes will most likely alienate anybody who doesn't share Elliot's Christian beliefs. That being said, one may find it fascinating to consider what it is that could make a person so eager to reach out to and eventually live in community with the people who murdered her husband.

It is even in tone, with the occasional jarring reference, such as a mention of Marie Kondo in relation to Elliot's desire for order and cleanliness. The story is told in a mostly straight-faced way, with slight glimmers of humour. A highlight, referring to the beginnings of Jim and Betty's relationship: "It was a courtship that is perhaps almost as excruciating to read about as it was to endure, although those enduring it in real time were being sanctified along the way, and I'm not sure that's true for the rest of us."

“Is this true? If so, what do I need to do about it to obey God?”

These are the foundational questions that book-ended the life of one of the most influential Christian women of the century. They also undergird Ellen Vaughn’s eloquent and articulate biography, “Becoming Elisabeth Elliot.” An absorbing, highly engaging biography of a complicated and multi-faceted wife, mother, missionary, and prolific author and speaker, “Becoming” takers us on a fascinating look at the events, experiences, and people who helped shape the life of this remarkable woman.

Meticulously researched and thoroughly documented, “Becoming Elisabeth Elliot” draws on Elliot’s own journals, letters, and other writings for a frank look at Elisabeth’s upbringing, her years at boarding school in Florida, student life at Wheaton College, and early years as a wife and missionary in the jungles of Ecuador. It also provides an overview of Elisabeth’s courtship and marriage to Jim Elliot. He was later martyred by the Waodani of Ecuador. (They’re identified by anthropologists as “one of the most homicidal tribes ever studied.” By the 1950s, in fact, Waodani tribe members were spearing each other to the point of extinction.)

The book has two basic parts. The first part of “Becoming” skillfully interweaves the true story of this tribe with the lives of five young missionaries who dared to believe the Waodani could change their story. They dreamed of introducing the love of Jesus Christ to the tribe. The missionaries, including Elisabeth’s husband, Jim, paid the ultimate price for their dream when the Waodani speared all five men to death in a jungle river in 1956.

It galvanized the Christian missions movement of the second half of the twentieth century.

Steeled by grace, Elisabeth later went into the jungle with her young daughter to live with the people who killed her husband and his colleagues. Elisabeth and other women shared the gospel with the Waodani, who saw a new way to live.

A complex personality with a “formidable” mind – she often read Plato and Socrates in the original Greek – Elisabeth also had a sharp eye for the Truth. She “wrote what she saw, not what she was supposed to see.”

The author also notes that Elisabeth saw dying to self and taking up her cross to follow Jesus as a biblical mandate to obeyed. Period. That’s why her biography “reflects the life and deaths, plural, of Elisabeth Elliot” and follows Elisabeth’s conviction that it is only in dying that we find real life. It paints a vivid word picture of "reckless abandon for God" and the "radical freedom" that comes with it. And that is why Elisabeth Elliot’s story is still relevant today.

The second half of the book shows us an older Betty. This “seasoned” Betty doesn’t like easy, formulaic answers or empty, knee-jerk platitudes. She’s lonely. Frustrated. “Intense, sensitive and possessive.” She battles feelings of failure and uselessness. She chafes at clichés and pat answers. Feels isolated. Asks hard questions Grieving, Elisabeth is sometimes all sharp angles and edges.

Additional tidbits include Elisabeth’s “deep-seated love of tidiness” and aversion to disorder, which she considered slothful. (“The wages of sloth are dust.”) Difficulties in deciphering the Waodani language. Personality clashes.

Much of the last half of the book chronicles events we don’t often hear about: Elliot’s thorny relationship with Rachel Saint, Nate Saint’s sister. Dayuma’s volatility. Trouble with the “locally infamous” and mentally unstable Dr. Tremblay. Betty’s disaffection with the policies of another missions entity. Tensions between various mission groups in the area.

Additionally, the title, “Becoming Elisabeth Elliot,” is also a play on words. Elliot was known to friends and family as “Betty.” She “became” known to the world as “Elisabeth” after penning “Through Gates of Splendor.” The origin of both the text and title of ‘”Gates” are explained in Vaughn’s book.

Beautifully written and deftly paced, “Becoming Elisabeth Elliot” is bracing and inspiring without being preachy. The narrative is insightful, informative, and as no-nonsense as Elliot herself. It offers keen insights into the how and why of a life totally committed to seeking and obeying God’s will.

You won’t find any “Saint Elisabeth” in these pages. In fact, “Becoming” avoids canonizing Elliot while presenting a candid, compelling read. It chronicles Elisabeth’s doubts, struggles, short-comings and uncertainties alongside her faith, commitment, and courage.

“Becoming Elisabeth Elliot” is also a poignant love story full of pathos and power, both divine and human. Nimble and refreshingly balanced, it’s a potent read that’s as timely as today’s headlines. By the end of this book you’ll find not only a deeper understanding of the forces that shaped Betty Elliot into “Elisabeth Elliot,” both external and internal, but a deeper walk with the Faithful Shepherd who led her.

May Betty’s story strengthen your own.

Note: While Becoming Elisabeth Elliot can be read as a stand-alone, readers already familiar with Elliot’s work will likely benefit most from this finely crafted biography. Readers would also do well to park any pre-conceived notions or lists of demands at the curb. Let the text speak for itself instead of second-guessing or assuming.

Additional volumes to follow.

What a compelling read – with much of the information right from the pen of Elizabeth Elliot in her journals and letters, and also from interviews with people who were close to her.

I sometimes could not put the book down – this biography is well-written!

I had such an idealistic impression of EE, with the image of her going into the jungle with her toddler daughter and right into the midst of the people who shot the arrows that killed her husband. I never knew of the conflict between EE and Rachel Saint that appears to have sabotaged all that EE hoped to do there.

Still, it's an interesting, thought provoking and challenging account of a strong woman who was willing to give up life itself for the sake of the gospel.

Thank you Netgalley and B&H Books for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Wow. I don't even know where to start 😂. Well, I had no idea what I was signing for when I started this book. To be honest the thing that intrigued me was the fact that this story is about the wife of the missionary who was killed by the violent natives in Ecuador. I remember the movie from some years ago and I sincerely never thought much of the wife, Elisabeth Elliot.
I always imagined missionaries as these supernatural beings..selfless to the core with little to none spiritual struggles. I always sort of felt bad because I thought their struggles were just so ''insignificant'' compared to ours the ''big'' sinners.
Wellllllll😂
Nope. This book is so interesting because it is not an autobiography or even a recollection of missionary stories, it is a book based on the JOURNAL of Elisabeth Elliot. You can't get more personal than that.
And yeah, we see her childhood years, her teen years, her love life, the author did a great job inserting many interesting journal entries, and to be honest, it opened up a whole new perspective for me.
Elisabeth Elliot has her struggles as a teen and young adult. She had a VERY complicated temper and there are still somethings she did I have no idea why she did 😂. But yeah, this book makes missionaries much more relatable. It has beautiful quotes by many great Christians scattered throughout and it inspires you to build that beautiful relationship with God more and more.
I know Elisabeth wrote many books and even her own biography, but I believe journals serve better than memory 😆. There was a part where the author told how Elisabeth practically didn't remember her bizarre teenage years! She once read her journals and didn't remember the girl she wrote about. Later in life, Elisabeth was diagnosed with dementia, so this journals are the more reliable source of information, in my opinion.
This book does a wonderful job illustrating how we are all broken people, yet made whole in Him. God uses our imperfections, just like Elisabeth's, for His glory.
It was a truly interesting book.

A humbling look into the life of Betty Howard Elliot. It follows the letters and journals of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot. From her humble beginnings to their first meeting and the wait of five years til they marry. Amazing people. You may have read and heard the stories, but this one goes deeper. It's their thoughts and deep convictions. Talk about sacrifice. Sacrifice upon sacrifice. They were truly called of God and ANSWERED! With their whole hearts and lives.

While many may scoff at their devotion, we look at their lives and see Jim and Elisabeth's deep desire to put God first. There is just some thing about a person who cares so much about the lost, to take the message of God's redeeming love to savages.

Ellen Vaughn writes about the turmoil and anxiousness of waiting on God's timing. About learning a language so foreign that it takes years to translate. About finding hope and direction after the bruising reality of grief. Ellen translates the words of two flawed mortal people, not to grant them sainthood, but to see them as they really were. Flesh and blood humans, with hopes and dreams, hurts and disappointments, joys and sorrows, isolation and loneliness.

Elisabeth was a prolific writer She wrote about her time with the Waodani Indians, the very ones who killed her husband. She wrote over 20 books and was a speaker well into her seventies. When she walked into the jungle with her 3 year old daughter, she didn't know what was ahead. Would the Stone Age people kill her too? She was ready to lay down her life because she believed she should obey the call of God, whatever the price.

A quote from Joni Eareckson Tata~

Courage is rare. Good character, rarer. Moral purity feels arcane. Suffering should be mitigated at all costs. And if it cannot be avoided, it must be drugged, divorced, escaped from, or prayed away.

But Elisabeth left Joni with these words.

"Suffering is never for nothing."

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Becoming Elisabeth Elliot
by Ellen Vaughn


B&H Publishing Group (B&H Books, Holman Bibles, B&H Español, and B&H Kids)
B&H Books
Biographies & Memoirs | Christian | Religion & Spirituality
Pub Date 15 Sep 2020



I am reviewing a copy of Becoming Elisabeth Elliot through B&H Publishing Group and Netgalley:




After her husband Jim Elliot and four of her Colleagues were killed in Ecuador by an Amazonian Tribe, Elisabeth took her daughter and snake bite kit and went prayerfully to stay with the same tribe of stone aged people who had killed her husband. Many came to Christ compelled by Elisabeth’s capacity for forgiveness and friendship.





Elisabeth Elliot was a no nonsense courageous Christian who went on to write dozens of books host a long-running radio show, and speak at conferences all over the world. Elisabeth Elliot was a pillar of committed, coherent faith, a committed and at times controversial icon.



In Becoming Elisabeth Elliot paint the adventures and misadventures God used to shape one of the most influential women in modern church history. The book paints a picture of a funny, sensual, brilliant, witty self-deprecating, sensitive, radical, and surprisingly relatable person utterly submitted to doing God’s will, no matter how high the cost.



Elisabeth did not question how it made her feel, but instead asked whether it was true or not.




I give Becoming Elisabeth Elliot five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

As a millennial evangelical from an extremely missions-oriented church, I grew up hearing the Jim and Elisabeth Elliot story about his martyrdom and her forgiveness of his murderers. While I didn't read her books, they were quoted numerous times in Joshua Harris's dating manifestos, as well as lots of other contemporary Christian writing. I also read some more recent articles about her, including the one from Medium that theorizes that Jim Elliot might've been gay. I doubted that this was the case, but the article raised concerns about the familiar narrative of Jim's martyrdom and the couple's courtship.

So by the time I started this book, I had three questions:

1. In the end, how did she frame the death of Jim Elliot and the other four men?

2. In the nuclear-family-centric 1950s, why would two people, especially two virgins, date for five years before getting married?

3. For years, EE refused to bow to pressure to tell Christians what they wanted to hear about the reality of the mission field. She was stringently committed to telling and writing the truth. And yet, in the late eighties, she heavily edited excerpts from JE's journals before quoting them in her books. Her early books are castigated by Christian reviewers for not containing enough answers, then in 1984 she pens one of the most prescriptive missives on sexuality ever written. Basically, what happened? Why did she change so much in these twenty-odd years?

To me, this has always been the biggest question, and I hoped the title was a sign that I'd get an answer.

Ellen Vaughn was granted access to EE's journals to write this authorized biography. This means that she's better equipped to answer these questions than anyone. Of course, no biographer can answer every reader's expectations (as she points out in the first few pages, perhaps hinting at the restrictions she was under or at least priming us for disappointment). There are a lot of layers to this, and your own mileage may vary, depending why you're drawn to this book.

Elisabeth's framing of Jim's death was well-explained, and quoted in EE's own words--that to try to fit their murder into some kind of Christian narrative about the cost of winning souls for Christ makes a graven image of God. (However, in the last section the Vaughn felt compelled to expound on Elisabeth's points, turning the last section of the book into a trite and unnecessary sermon.)

My questions about Jim and Elisabeth's courtship are not really answered. Vaughn briefly mentions the Medium article, but it's just a dismissal, nothing more substantial than that. She doesn't directly answer why Jim and Elisabeth took so long to get married, though the story is covered--Jim continually felt unsure that it was God's will, Elisabeth was unwilling to question him, or seemingly to even address it directly. I did not know that they came to Ecuador separately. (!)

Vaughn quotes Jim's final journal entry, in which he laments his temptation to "the lure of the flesh," which includes the following line: "Betty thinks I have been angry with her, when I have simply had to steel myself to sex life so as not to explode . . . my unworthiness of her love beats me down." What does "steel myself to sex life" even MEAN? Vaughn doesn't go into it, just gives a platitude about how the martyred men weren't perfect.

When they get engaged, it's revealed that Elisabeth had "just happened" to bring several yards of luxurious white fabric to Ecuador with her, enough to make a gown. But instead, she wears a simple suit. Why? It's never explained, and to me this symbolizes the whole narrative: something is wrong here, but it's hard to tell what or why.

And why did Elisabeth Elliot change so much? Vaughn details how after leaving the mission field, Elisabeth began reading secular literature and asking harder, deeper questions in her journals. This angry, grieving Elisabeth--missing Jim, rejected by her fellow missionary, Rachel Saint, questioning everything, including her own motives--this is my favorite Elisabeth. This part of the book flew for me. I wish someone would write a whole biography on just this period.

But again, the book left me without answers. Indeed, this section skims a bit, summarizing more than narrating.

Vaughn tells us that when Elisabeth read her journals later, the questions made her "cringe:" "Perhaps the 'honest inquiry' of her younger years seemed merely immature, or overly dramatic to the older, seasoned Betty. Perhaps she no longer asked such questions." Yes, perhaps not, but WHY? Why such a contrast? Or at least give me more about that contrast so I can draw my own conclusions.

Not long after, the book concludes, with vague promises for another volume. It's a strange place to stop.

There are, arguably, two Elisabeth Elliots that the title could be referring to. There's the intrepid widow who stays in the jungle with the murderous people who killed her husband (with her tiny daughter, another layer of oddness that's touched on but not unpacked) and the anti-feminist, pro-courtship scion of the purity movement who spoke at conferences 300 days a year. The book ends between the first Elisabeth and the second, with at least a decade on either side, in the middle of what seems like a transformation. Again, I'm left wanting more.

In addition, I occasionally found Vaughn's writing style irritating--needless references to Marie Kondo, etc., seemed stuck in there for the sake of being "relevant." She makes a fairly unoriginal analogy comparing young Elisabeth to a refrigerated rose and names a chapter after it, a look-at-me gesture I've never seen in any of the hundred-some biographies I've read. These irritations were infrequent, however.

It's hard for me to assign a rating to this book. I've tried to keep in mind that not everyone will come into it with the same questions I did.

In the days after I finished "Becoming Elisabeth Elliot," I had the worst book hangover I've ever had, in thirty years of reading. (I'm not exaggerating. I almost started over.) At first I thought this meant it must've been good, but now I wonder if it's simply because the narrative feels so unfinished. Again, this might not be entirely the writer's fault--I assume access to the material was contingent on her only revealing so much. But reading a biography is supposed to deepen the reader's understanding of the subject. Did this book do that? Only by making me more aware of what I don't know.

Elisabeth Elliot is one of the most fascinating women of the twentieth century. I just hope that one day we'll get her full story.

Becoming Elisabeth Elliot
by Ellen Vaughn
B&H Publishing Group (B&H Books, Holman Bibles, B&H Español, and B&H Kids)
You Are Auto-Approved
B&H Books
Biographies & Memoirs | Christian | Religion & Spirituality
Pub Date 15 Sep 2020 | Archive Date Not set

I really enjoyed this book about Elisabeth and her life. She is an inspiration to me. I believe our patrons will really like this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and B&H books for the ARC.
5 star