Becoming Elisabeth Elliot

Elisabeth Elliot: The Authorized Biography #1

by Ellen Vaughn, Joni Eareckson Tada (Foreword)

Elisabeth Elliot was a young missionary in Ecuador when members of a violent Amazonian tribe savagely speared her husband Jim and his four colleagues. Incredibly, prayerfully, Elisabeth took her toddler daughter, snakebite kit, Bible, and journal . . . and lived in the jungle with the Stone-Age people who killed her husband. Compelled by her friendship and forgiveness, many came to faith in Jesus.  

This courageous, no-nonsense Christian went on to write dozens of books, host a long-running radio show, and speak at conferences all over the world. She was a pillar of coherent, committed faith; a beloved and sometimes controversial icon. In this authorized biography, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, bestselling author Ellen Vaughn uses Elisabeth’s private, unpublished journals, and candid interviews with her family and friends, to paint the adventures and misadventures God used to shape one of the most influential women in modern church history. It’s the story of a hilarious, sensual, brilliant, witty, self-deprecating, sensitive, radical, and surprisingly relatable person utterly submitted to doing God’s will, no matter how high the cost. For Elisabeth, the central question was not, “How does this make me feel?” but, simply, “is this true?” If so, then the next question was, “what do I need to do about it to obey God?”
 
“My life is on Thy Altar, Lord—for Thee to consume. Set the fire, Father! Bind me with cords of love to the Altar. Hold me there. Let me remember the Cross.” –Elisabeth Elliot, age 21
 
 

Genres: Biography, Christian, Nonfiction, Book Club, Biography Memoir, Christian Non Fiction, Faith

299 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2020

About the author

Ellen Vaughn is a New York Times bestselling author and speaker who has written or co-written 23 books. Former vice president of executive communications at Prison Fellowship, she collaborated with the late Chuck Colson on a number of his seminal works. She speaks at conferences, often travels to interview Christ-followers in hostile parts of the world, and serves on the board of directors for ICM, the global church developer. With degrees from Georgetown University and the University of Richmond, Ellen lives in northern Virginia with husband Lee, a regional pastor for McLean Bible Church, a daughter and two grandchildren, and one clueless dog. She enjoys reading, hiking, drinking coffee, and staring pensively at the ocean.

Reviews

[Glenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I give this book 10 stars? I’ll be thinking about it for a long time, and I eagerly await the next volume. I’ve read Shadow of the Almighty four times. I quoted it in both my books, and I feel like I know Jim. Now, I feel like I know Elisabeth. What a beautiful book. I’m so thankful Betty journaled so prolifically—what a gift she has left us. I finished this book seeking deeper obedience and intimacy with Christ. Can you say anything better about a book?

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up amongst the retired Christian and Missionary Alliance missionaries in DeLand, Florida breathing the aftermath of all this book records. My brother-in-law was actually there as a young boy as his parents were C&MA missionaries in Ecuador. This book reminded me that I should be grateful for that heritage.

I am so, so thankful for Elisabeth Elliot and her writings on suffering. They have been a lifeline to me.

I think this book was fair to Elisabeth and honest. I listened to the audio at 1.2 speed and that seemed to help with the annoyances others noted.

I also could have done without the last part of the book. Why not let the story tell itself? Nevertheless, it is a very good book.

My first book of 2024.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Susy C. *MotherLambReads* · Rating 5 out of 5]

“There is nothing worth living for, unless it is worth dying for.”

One of my heroes the faith.

This memoir/biography was like no other I have read about her. The personal research the author has done on this book is amazing. Most of the journal entries and letters used for this book have never been read before. It seemed to complete her story. If you haven't read about her- she and her husband were pioneer missionaries to Indians in Ecuador. They took her husband's life- and she went back to live with them.

I grew up learning about this woman and reading her books and books about her. This book though put her in a different light for me. It let me relate to her better as a human. I cried and laughed at parts. Looking forward to the second and third installments.

I appreciated how the author brought out her "humaness" and how through all her suffering she continued on- not out of obligation but out of her love for Christ. I noticed how Elisabeth changed through her journey. At the beginning of journey, like her so many of us are concerned about our "pious posture" and caught up in the "performance based" actions. Even Elizabeth saw by the end of her stay in Ecuador how disillusioned or angry one can become towards our his faith. I like how she tackled this. It can be a common thing on the mission field in terms of cultural Christianity and adaptation. The state of one's heart is what is important not image.

“The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.”

“This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.”

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've admired Elisabeth Elliot for years, and her books helped to mentor me as a young Christian. Much of her story I knew from reading The Journals of Jim Elliot, Through Gates of Splendor, Beyond the Gates of Splendor, all of Elisabeth Elliot's other books, and listening to her radio talks. Still I was glad to have this part of her life chronicled in one biography to share with my students. Thanks to the author for this important work!

[Hunter Beless · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful story of God’s grace in the life of Elizabeth Elliot. I found the bit about missionary conflict particularly helpful. Reading it encouraged me to gracefully persevere in my own ministry struggles, insecurities, and discouragements just as Christians have done in time’s past, like Elizabeth Elliot. Ellen, thank you for this labor of love.

[Carol Bakker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah. This one touched me inside, in places that only music usually can reach.

I thought I knew Elisabeth Elliot's life story pretty well.* I've read much of EE's oeuvre. But this book surprised me, oh yes it did. Here there be many untold stories.

I had desired God Himself and He had not only not given me what I asked for, He had snatched away what I had. I came to nothing, to emptiness.

I don't want to rob future readers of the surprises (her reading list is one).

If you read this, you will find heartache, wonder, glory, confusion, mystery, ingenuity, conflict, unanswered questions, and daily faithfulness.





* I was raised as a Plymouth Brethren; my husband and I were classmates with Elisabeth's niece; my grandpa was friends with Jim Elliot when he was at Wheaton; I grew up with many Elliot relatives; my Aunt Betty and Aunt Ruth were fellow students with Betty Howard at Hampden DuBose Academy (shudder); my daughter-in-law met EE at a training center; my life was saturated with the lore of the five missionary martyrs.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elisabeth Elliot’s story has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. But I always felt like there were two different people: the adventurous woman whose husband was murdered in the rainforest of Ecuador, and the woman who hosted a daily radio program and who seemed (to my young ears) rather austere and strict. I was curious to read this new biography and begin to connect the two Elisabeth Elliots.

This is the first of two volumes of the biography, and it takes Elliot from childhood through 1963 (age 37), when she departed Ecuador to return to the US. Much of this book tells the story that is already familiar to me—growing up in the Howard household, attending Wheaton College, meeting and marrying Jim Elliot, and the missions to the Colorado, Quichua, and Waodani in Ecuador. In fact, the Through Gates of Splendor story is so very familiar that I almost wished this biography had presented it more quickly; despite biographer Ellen Vaughn’s access to all of Elliot’s materials, there’s little here that hasn’t been told before.

For me, it’s after Jim’s death that Elisabeth becomes extremely interesting. Prior to that, her life had been paralyzed by religious certainty. I guess that’s an odd phrase, but what I mean is that Elliot was so confident that God would lead her that she was often immobilized as she awaited clear leading, second-guessing and over-analyzing every impulse. Reading journal entries and letters from those years can be really frustrating, and quite monotonous. The massacre by the Waodani, however, and Elliot’s subsequent challenges in living with them (and with a fellow missionary who was “challenging,” to say the least) push Elliot toward questions about God’s leading and the role of faith—questions I that totally resonate with. She journaled in July 1962,

One ought to be careful that he does not confuse what he calls “the will of God” with his own image of the role he is playing, which is an obligation to illusion only. Deliver me from this, Lord! (246)

This is such a huge shift from her earlier journal persona that assumed that God’s leading will always eventually make good sense, even where it can be confusing in the moment. Remembering Elliot in her later years, speaking with such confidence on her radio program, makes quotes like this one even more delightful:

I find myself poles, poles, poles apart from those around me. I am bothered by this. I am tuned, it seems, to an entirely different wave length. I read Terstugen and MacDonald, and some utterly godless writers, and my heart says a great YES to every word. I hear Dad [Elliot] preach and expound and I can only say NO. It simply does not appear to me as TRUTH. He has spent his whole life preaching and studying the Word. He comes out with an entirely different orientation than those who speak so clearly to me. My God, what is Truth? (232)

I’ve never felt such love for Elisabeth Elliot as when reading about her struggles in these areas. It’s a thrill to know that she wrestled with questions that also run around in my brain so often—and that her questions and mine originate in similar experiences in cross-cultural ministry.

(There are also a number of hilarious quotes from her journals throughout the biography, honest and often dour and sarcastic: “Spoke at women’s meeting. Seemed useless, tho’ everyone wept” (227).)

What this biography proposes is that it was a number of deaths, literal and figurative, that led to Betty Howard “becoming” Elisabeth Elliot. I like Vaughn’s conclusion about the “death” that ultimately shaped Elliot most significantly:

There was another death as well, the passing of a triumphal religiosity that responded to both life’s tragedies and life’s deep questions with platitudes. And if Betty felt stark grief at Jim’s loss, grief was almost easier to bear than the anger she felt about the pious postures of performance-based religious agencies concerned more with image and PR rather than the state of one’s heart. (275)

And with that, this first volume ends—at just the point where I really want to keep reading more! Just before Elliot writes what is my all-time favorite of her many books, No Graven Image.

Because my own opinion about the infamous Waodani massacre of the five Americans has changed over the years, there are parts of this biography that are challenging to me. At many points along the way, I yearned for a more critical perspective on the events being related. I wondered if it would be better to have a biographer with a background in anthropology or missiology, to set a better context for understanding the events in the 1950s in hindsight. Keeping the perspective so precisely on Elliot’s own in-the-moment writing occasionally felt suffocating and inadequate, and sometimes I felt that Vaughn was perhaps too starry-eyed in telling the story of one of her heroes. (As a side note: I think the book I really want is Kathryn Long’s recent God in the Rainforest, which, from the references mentioned in this biography, seems like it will have exactly the kind of critical consideration I’m looking for to help me process my own thoughts.) However, in the conclusion, Vaughn addresses some of these responses:

Whether you agree or disagree with their choices, whether you resonate or not with their particular personalities, the takeaway from their lives is a reckless abandon for God. A willingness to cast off any illusions of self-protection, in order to burn for Christ. An absolutely liberating, astonishing radical freedom that comes only when you have, in fact, spiritually died to your own wants, ambitions, will, desires, reputation, and everything else. (274)

I can agree with that. Vaughn’s suggestion that Elliot was something of a mystic is intriguing, and I’m eager to read the next volume of the biography to see how that develops from the mid-1960s.

The book is written in a simple, non-academic tone, and I loved Vaughn’s selection of epigraphs at the start of each chapter. She had access to as much Elliot archival material, and interviews with people related to Elliot’s story, as anyone ever has. So I was surprised that there are so few photographs in the book. The few that are here are mostly the ones that have appeared in many other books already. If Elliot became such an avid photographer, as Vaughn reports, why can’t we see more of her pictures? Other problems with the book: the editing and layout needed more work (some distracting typos and errors, and layout choices that seem incorrect); there’s no index (come on, how can there not be an index in a book like this?); and there’s no chronology or timeline, which I would have found helpful. Volume two is due for publication in 2022, and I hope it will address some of these issues.

[Kristine L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

“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” takes 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.

[Pamela Small · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellen Vaughn painstakingly culls through a myriad of resources, journals, personal letters and interviews to reveal the persona of ELISABETH ELLIOT. Ms. Vaughn, through beautiful and honest writing, captures the essence of Elisabeth Elliot in this captivating biography. Well researched and well documented, including extensive references, Ms. Vaughn should be lauded for the magnitude - and resounding success- of this endeavor. My only disappointment: having to wait for the next installment in Volume II !

I have read a number of EE books and listened to her podcasts; I have always been humbled and amazed at her relentless faith and obedience to God. However, Ms. Vaughn has allowed me to grasp more insights into this amazing woman. This book is a remarkable biography of a remarkable woman. Regardless of what you may know of the Auca mission and the dramatic deaths of the five missionaries ( including her husband Jim Elliot) in the 1950’s, you will glean so much more spiritual insight by reading this biography. While I have always respected EE’s life and speeches, I have come away enriched beyond what I would have imagined after reading this account. Indeed, Ms. Vaughn has captured the essence of EE, the proverbial ‘good, bad, and ugly’ - and that honest portrayal of Elisabeth Elliot endears her to us all the more. She is not depicted as godly saint on a pedestal; instead she is portrayed as a mere mortal (like the rest of us) who suffered failures, anguish, inward disappointments, outward ridicule and disrespect.... yet remained faithful to God and His love for her. This is one of THE BEST biographies I have ever read!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy

[Joanna Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many thoughts, but I wanted to remember this:

Do it immediately, do it with prayer,
Do it reliantly, casting all care.
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand
Who placed it before Thee with earnest command.
Stayed on omnipotence, safe ‘neath His wing,
Leave all resultings, do the next thing.
— an old Saxon poem that Betty loved, p. 268

Also, the apocryphal story about the disciples carrying the stones, p. 112

[Kaetlyn Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot imagine the weight of being Elisabeth Elliot's biographer, so I have tried to remain generous in my opinion of this book. I did enjoy it. But. It is my understanding that Ellen Vaughn had full access to EE's journals and yet I am positive that there was not a single entry quoted at length. Instead they were choppy and edited and that greatly interrupted the flow of the book. It was purely my interest in EE's life that kept me reading as fast as I did. Overall, I felt that by the end of the book there were still many gaps that needed to be filled. I hope my continuing to read all of Elisabeth Elliot's written works and listening to her recorded talks will do that for me. My 4 stars is for the writing of the book, not for "Betty" who will forever be a great inspiration to me!

[Jenna]

Excellent biography of a truly astounding woman. While dense, it gave a great outline of how Elisabeth Elliot came to be an admirable woman of God. Must read for all fans of her work.

[Breny and Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Michelle Ule · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am undone.

Ellen Vaughn’s Becoming "Elizabeth Elliot" is the best book I’ve read in a long time. Certainly the best biography.

I’m an admitted fan; I’ve written half a dozen blog posts about Elliot’s influence on my life, but this biography is so beautifully and intelligently written, I can only sigh with thanks.

Vaughn’s wise insight elevates Elliot’s oh-so-interesting life into applicable counsel for any believer struggling with “whys?” and “where is God?"

So rich. So valuable. https://www.michelleule.com/2020/09/2...

[Jennifer Fluegge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book and in depth look into the mind and heart of Elisabeth Elliott! Very convicting and challenging! While we will not all be called to experience the things she did, it makes you consider whether you are being faithful and trusting God in the situations that He has ordained for your life as she was.

[Sarah Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this biography. Elisabeth Elliot’s life deserves to be remembered. Vaughn painted the picture for the reader extremely well, both the beautiful and not so beautiful parts. If you are a Christian, go read this now.

[Ada Tarcau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best written biography I have read so far. Affectionately written, meticulously documented (the biographer has read all EE’s journals, Jim’s journals, ever so many letters, has correlated secondary sources, integrated history and culture), there is no shortage of humour whenever it is fitting, there’s a wonderful flow of the story intertwined with Elisabeth’s moment by moment raw thoughts and feelings and the biographer’s notes and insights are much welcomed.
This work has brought such an intimitading role model close to my heart, my struggles, my life... and thus her commendable daily trustful obedience becoming more applicable, achievable in my own story.
I loved how this biography traced Ellisabeth’s fight to persue the "what” question (what would You have me do?) instead of the unanswerable, futile "why" while navigating tragedy, loss, hardship.
All in all, a very paletable and worthwhile read!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterful biography of a fascinating woman. Ellen Vaughn has done the work of culling through Elliot’s extensive journals and lays out the story both in sequence and with attention to major themes. I’m in awe of her skill for knowing when the reader may need a touch more context or explanation, or when the story speaks for itself. Elliot, as sharp and as honest as she was, would be up for this rigorous examination of her faith and her emotions. This biography allows Elisabeth to be as complex as she was and I loved it.

[Gretchen Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating look "behind the scenes" of the early life of the woman we know Elisabeth Elliot! Excerpts from letters and journals, as well as careful research from Ellen Vaughn, give us a glimpse into the circumstances that shaped Elisabeth Elliot into the missionary, author, and speaker we so loved and respected. Paired with Elisabeth's daughter Valerie's compilation of Jim and Elisabeth's love letters in Devotedly, as well as Elisabeth's own books recounting that time period, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot provides a more complete picture of this strong, godly woman.

[Lonita Shirk Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A carefully crafted portrayal of Elisabeth Elliot that shows the striving towards complete obedience in her life. I appreciate how the author showed the vulnerable, human side of Betty as well as the devoted, saint-like side. Rather than being an overwhelming book about Christlikeness that I feel I could never attain, this book was a portrayal of fallen human redeemed by Christ and living through God's power.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best for ages: 18 and up

Elisabeth Elliot has been a hero of mine since I was a young teen. I don't know which of her books I read first, but each one I have read has a special place in my heart.
This is an honest look at her life. Without diminishing the incredible person she was, we get to see some of the struggles and hard parts that weren't shared before or glossed over. Like Devotedly: The Personal Letters and Love Story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot we get to see not just the pretty picture, but the gritty reality. Which honestly makes the Elliots not only more real but also more convicting. God uses flawed, weak people to do His will, we just have to obey.

I almost gave this book four stars because of the beginning. It is obvious that the author struggled with Elliot's traditional views on womanhood and her family's strict lifestyle. Sometimes, her opinions colored how she wrote about her however, as the book went on, that added into the background.

Content notes: These missionaries were reaching a people group that wore no clothing and didn't live with walls. Vaughn shared about this culture frankly. Elisabeth and Jim Elliot weren't perfect. Some of their struggles were shared without sugarcoating.

[Sarah Dalzell · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best missionary biographies I have read. It’s deeply informative, honest about hardship and failure, and points to God’s faithfulness through it all. I grew up hearing about the story of Jim & Elisabeth Elliot, but I learned so much in this book about their relationship and missionary work that I never knew before. The biographer does a brilliant job of compiling all the journal entries, articles and records, and drawing out lessons for the reader. I cannot stress enough how good a read this is!!

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simply incredible read. And so real. Vaughn held nothing back about Elizabeth Elliot--of her personality, her struggles and failings, and her utter dependence on God throughout her whole life. Elizabeth would never have labeled herself an "amazing missionary" but just an ordinary woman serving her extraordinary Lord and King because of her love for Jesus and His Word and her desire to obey Him. I couldn't stop reading this book, and I was just amazed how genuine Elizabeth was in her diary entries but also how God's will was her constant focus throughout her life. And she gave God the glory for all because she realized that Jesus IS worth living for...even if God's will caused her to go through the heaviest and darkest of trials and to lose her husband to a violent attack from the tribe they were trying to share the Gospel with. God's will led her back to this same tribe to pick up the work her husband and others had started which resulted in many souls brought to saving faith in Jesus. She also realized that Jesus IS worth dying for...even through the tears, she rejoiced that her husband had died for God's kingdom. Many times, she felt like she wanted to just die, go to heaven, and be rid of the sorrow and struggles of earthly life, but she surrendered to God’s will no matter where He would lead her because her obedience to her Lord outweighed her desire of comfort. Even if it felt like her work produced no results, she trusted in His faithfulness no matter what He decided to give her next. A truly amazing and humbling biography from Ellen Vaughn. Would highly recommend you read it because I believe you will be blessed and provided with a fresh or revived perspective on what it means to truly live (and be willing to die) for Christ.

[Keisha | A Book Like You · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I just didn't jive with this book. I kind of wish I was just left with the original knowledge I had of Jim and Elisabeth's story. I found that the author shone a more negative light on the Elliots, and it definitely came across as a depressing read. There was more of a focus on living in condemnation and a "woe is me" life versus walking in the victory and righteousness of Christ. While I believe suffering does serve a purpose, Ellen Vaughn painted a picture of Elisabeth Elliot that seemed very much like all we should expect in the Christian life is suffering and that is the only way we can truly serve Christ. I didn't agree with the message of this story, but I will try to read a book written specifically by Elisabeth Elliot - as I've heard much better things about her books, like Suffering is Never for Nothing. I just didn't enjoy this particular execution of Elisabeth's story.

[Leah Savas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography just earned a spot as one of my new favorite books. 

I have been on the hunt for well-written, engaging biographies of Christian historical figures. Unfortunately, many of the Christian biographies I have read recently (albeit, perhaps a limited list) have too many facts and too little storytelling and are, frankly, just boring. Such things were not true of this volume. This is one of maybe two Christian biographies I've read in recent years that I would be willing to spend time re-reading in the future. 

Ellen Vaughn did an excellent job bringing Betty Howard Elliot to life through vivid descriptions and a frank look at her internal struggles, as recorded in her letters and journals. I used to be afraid of and even dislike Elisabeth Elliot---probably because she seemed so unattainably strict and spiritual. Plus, the story of her first husband's death was gruesome and scary to me when I first learned about it as an impressionable little girl watching the film The End Of The Spear. But in this book, Vaughn invites the reader into Betty's head, allowing us to see both her inspiring devotion to the Lord and her constant struggle with the flesh. The author also invites us into Betty's context and specific scenes of her life, using choice words to engage the senses. The level of detail (down to an exact play-by-play of moments from Betty's time in the jungle) was incredible. Perhaps Vaughn had an advantage since her subject was herself a descriptive writer and wrote a lot about her life. But the real challenge there was likely discerning what not to include, and it seems Vaughn chose well. My one beef with Vaughn's authorial choices would be that she occasionally slips into too much commentary---for example, in comparing the conventions of Betty's time to the current era. But at other times, such commentary was helpful.

Another strength of the book is that it's not just a biography. It's also a real-life examination of hard-to-grasp theological concepts, such as God’s sovereignty. Over and over, we see Betty having to wrestle with questions about why God would allow certain setbacks in her ministry---everything from losing months of Bible translation work in a stolen suitcase to losing her husband's life to the spears of enraged warriors. Even though she was eventually able to live with his killers, her life as a missionary after her husband's death wasn't the sunshiny success I once thought it had been. But it taught her (and, through this book, now me) that the Christian's duty is obedience to God despite outcomes and appearances. We might never know or understand God’s purposes for particular events, but he does, and that should be enough for us. 

(P.S. I don't drink wine, but to use the metaphor of pairing wine and cheese, a good "cheese" to consume with this "wine" of a book, so to speak, is Providence by John Piper. I happened to be reading both at the same time and discovered that they complement each other well. While Piper makes the theological and biblical case for God's purposeful sovereignty even over events that make no sense to humans, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot shows a Christian woman's struggle to learn how to live in light of God's inscrutable ways.)

[Midori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely read a book that is so interesting, illuminating, and kind. Elisabeth Elliot has always been a presence in my life since the days when my mother listened to her daily radio program. I've been admonished and encouraged by her straightforward spiritual guidance as I've read her books.

But this! This! Now I feel like she is a 3-dimensional person, almost a friend. The author did a superb job bringing her to life in a sympathetic, honest way, revealing insights into her humanness, yet in no way diminishing her spiritual credentials.

I wish every missionary would read this book for a huge dose of reality and humility. We need to wrestle with the truths about the church, ourselves, and God that Ellen Vaughn makes explicit in this book, and learn to trust God in the mystery.

[Transcribed from the audio] "I suppose the general opinion of missionary work says that it is intended to bring people to Christ. Only God knows if anything in my missionary career has ever contributed anything at all to this end. But much in that career has brought me to Christ." --EE

[Amber Thiessen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, here we are today, looking at Ellen Vaughn’s new book, “Becoming Elisabeth Elliot.” She introduces us to a young woman, who follows God’s call on her life to mission work, moves to South America, marries her sweetheart, then faces the grueling pain of tragically losing him, in a spearing from an indigenous tribe, the Waodani.

In the days that follow, she remains in Ecuador with their baby girl, grieving, while learning to handle all the logistics of missionary life alongside the other widows. Jim and Betty had been ready to go together to reach the Waodani and live among them. In spite of all that had happened, that call was deeply etched within her heart.

Over time, and through divinely orchestrated circumstances, some Waodani women came to the settlement and Betty began linguistical work to learn the language. Eventually, her and Rachel Saint would be invited by the tribe to live among them; a culmination of the Spirit’s work in the lives of both Betty and Rachel, the martyred men, and the lives of the Waodani.

Betty would live with the tribe, raising her daughter, continuing to learn the language, alongside Rachel. The disconnection between these two women was strikingly evident. Two women, called by God to reach the Waodani people with the gospel, having personalities that were further than poles apart. The conflict between them would reach a climax, with Betty deciding to leave the tribe, and continue work at the mission station.

Through her model of her life, I was reminded of many things.

Faith in Grief
The sudden, unexpected loss of her husband brought great suffering. Yet, "for Betty, the sad days weren't meant to be denied, suppressed, or avoided. Betty's medical training, and her theology, did not allow her to deny the existence of pain. It was a symptom. It showed God was at work. If she walked the path of obedience, He would in fact use her very pain for his good purposes." To keep moving forward in the face of pain requires much faith and deep courage, as "she made it through each arduous day, one at time, with a simple mantra: do the next thing."

Diversity in Gifting
A missionary, a gifted linguist, a mother, a writer, Elisabeth’s many God given talents she stewarded in service to God’s kingdom work. As the author describes the team in Ecuador, I saw the beautiful tapestry that God had woven together in these people, especially among the wives. Nate Saint’s wife Marjorie was amazingly hospitable, serving up delicious food for those making the perilous journey for days to come out of the jungle, and Marilou McCully’s compassionate love of the young, establishing a home for missionary children.

These women, diverse as they were in giftings and passions, had melded together in unity. It’s an encouragement for us as the church, to persevere in unity, and to think of each other highly, as we are each endowed with uniqueness to serve.

Intentional Parenting
These young missionaries were brought up by parents who were intentionally raising their children to go overseas with the gospel. What a convicting thought to watch these children grow into adulthood, following the Lord with total surrender, even unto death. I consider my own parenting and wonder if I am being half as purposeful with my kids. It’s humbling to understand the impact our parenting has on our children.

The Heart of Patience
There were many times in Elisabeth’s life we see her holding with open hands, her dreams and plans for the Lord to work them out in His timing. The author notes, “few of us would have had Betty Howard’s patience. Her own trust in God’s leading, no matter what, reinforced her endurance. She hung in there for a five-year courtship that was not for the faint of heart.”

Not only did she wait for marriage, but also for fruit to be born out of her ministry, for open doors among the Waodani, for reconciliation between her and Rachel, there was a lot of waiting, and sometimes without answers, yet “she was determined not to do what was easy, but to wait for God’s leading, whatever it was.”

I’m humbled how God acted and moved in Betty’s life, to place her in the right family, moved her toward the right schools, dropped mentors into her life, who would each play an important role later on. The things she learned, the skills she gained, were God’s hand over her, each step of the way. “Her most noble accomplishment was not weathering that excoriating loss. It was practicing – through both the high dramas and the low, dull days that constitute any human life – the daily self-death required for one’s soul to flourish.” She inspires me to take each day in stride, surrendering my plans and efforts for his purposes and his glory.

“And there was less time to ponder the possible will of God in one’s journal. When His work is right in front of you, you do it”

If you are looking for a biography to challenge and inspire you, this is it. I've rated it 5 stars! The author plans for a second volume to tell about her life after Ecuador, which will be an exciting addition to reveal the rest of Elisabeth’s life, as she continued to travel, write and serve the Lord.

How have biographies shaped your life? Which are your favourites?

[Laurel Luehmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having learned so much from Elisabeth Elliot’s story and writings in the past, I so appreciated this deeper look into her early life.

(It does mention some more mature topics and gruesome descriptions of deaths, so that’s something to be aware of going into it.)