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 In this authorized biography, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, bestselling author Ellen Vaughn uses Elisabeth’s private, unpublished journals, and candid interviews with her family and friends, to paint the adventures and misadventures God used to shape one of the most influential women in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?”

Patron just said she gives it 5 stars. ( )

"Incredible, prayerfully, Elisabeth took her toddler daughter, snakebite kit, Bible, and journal...and, with fellow missionary Rachel Saint, lived in the jungle with the Stone-Age people who killed their loved one. Compelled by their friendship and forgiveness, man in the tribe came to faith in Jesus."

First sentence: It was April 11, 1948 in Wheaton, Illinois, thirty miles west of Chicago. Jim Elliot was a junior at Wheaton College, a star wrestler, Greek major, poet, and jokester.

Becoming Elisabeth Elliot is...you guessed it...a biography of Elisabeth (Howard) Elliot. This biography doesn't cover her whole life. It is, I believe, perhaps a first volume in a two volume biography set. (Perhaps. It certainly felt like that was the set up). This one touches briefly on her childhood years, and goes to a more in-depth treatment of her high school and college years [there were journals]. Ultimately everything is building up to her courtship, marriage, and widowhood. Her husband, Jim Elliot, is one of five who were martyred. This husband-and-wife team were serving as missionaries in Ecuador. [There were five men and their families. Perhaps more in the area??? But these five were specifically seeking to witness to this particular tribe; it was a 'first contact' situation.] The biography ends in the early (maybe mid too) 1960s. Elisabeth Elliot has returned to the United States [after much disagreement with another widow] and is now writing Christian books.

The book relies on Elisabeth Elliot's journals and books.

I have read two maybe three books by Elisabeth Elliot...including several about her years in Ecuador. (One was on womanhood? or parenting?)

I did learn more about Elisabeth Elliot. I knew the basic story, this biography fleshes it out in more context. I had made a few assumptions that I shouldn't have. (For example, I assumed that the five widows and their families would have stayed close/tight. That they would have supported each other. It was quite a shock to read of the super-tense, incredibly-tense relationship she had with Rachel Saint.)

It gives a good, solid overview. But I don't think there's tedious amounts of details. (Though that could be subjective). ( )

I found this book very encouraging! Not only is it a well-written biography that reads almost as well as a novel, but it also has a lot of practical good in it. I found Elizabeth’s story inspiring and helpful—she dealt with a lot of things that I also find myself facing at times, and hearing how she worked through and overcame them with God’s power was very helpful to me. If you’re interested in missions and Christian witness throughout the ages, this would be a great book to read. The history side of things was quite riveting, but also the many quotes from her journal made me feel like I know her better. Highly recommended. I can’t wait until the sequel comes out!

Recommended for: Adult readers. Some descriptions are not what I would consider suitable for younger readers, even though they remain clean.

I was given a review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it. ( )