Elisabeth Elliot was a young missionary in Ecuador when members of a remote Amazonian indigenous people group killed her husband Jim and his four colleagues. And yet, she stayed in the jungle with her young daughter to minister to the very people who had thrown the spears, demonstrating the power of Christ’s forgiveness.
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. And while things in the limelight might have looked golden, her suffering continued refining her in many different and unexpected ways.
Her early years, related in Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, traced the transition of a young woman who dealt in “certainties” to the woman who lived with the unknown.
Now, being Elisabeth Elliot increasingly meant confronting how much she did not understand. She sought her reference point beyond her own experiences, always pondering what she called the “impenetrable mystery” of the interplay between God’s will and human choices.
And it is that strange mystery which shaped the rest of her startling life story.

First sentence: "I feel perfectly certain that I shall never marry again," Elisabeth Elliot declared early in 1956. It had been nine days since her muscular young husband and his four fellow missionaries had been speared to death by members of a remote tribal people in the Amazon jungle.

This is the second volume of Ellen Vaughn's biography of Elisabeth Elliot. It is an authorized biography. Both volumes are authorized. She was granted access to materials that other biographers haven't been able to access--exclusive access. While other biographers have had access to some of her letters and published excerpts from her journals, Ellen Vaughn was granted access to LOTS of her journals.

There is no "one" Elisabeth Elliot--her spiritual and theological growth was ever-changing and ever-evolving. And the Elisabeth Elliot of later years--particularly the last two or three decades of her life--radically differs from earlier decades. She was something of a radical in the 1960s and 1970s. Not anti-establishment necessarily, but anti-evangelical establishment. What some refer to today as "big Eva." It wasn't so much that she questioned God, just how the evangelical church liked to box him in and speak for him.

This volume focuses on Elliot's "later years" focusing primarily on the years 1956-1978 (or 1979?). Essentially the biography begins to wind things up when she marries her third husband. A little is said of this time. It was very productive in creating the Elisabeth Elliot legacy--many of her most iconic works were published at this time. (Though not the most iconic, perhaps). But her third marriage...was....well, it came at great sacrifice. For example, if someone tells you I want to FENCE YOU IN ON ALL SIDES AND PROTECT YOU, you should probably give serious thought to what exactly they mean. Because it might not be as swoon-worthy and romantic as you might think.

The writing style worked so well. This was a QUICK read. The chapters were manageable (unlike that other Elliot biography I reviewed this year.) Each chapter seemed to have a purpose, a point.

Some of the content did surprise me. I didn't necessarily want to read the lusty, sensual side of Elisabeth Elliot. But it is a way of making sense of her later years and the decisions she made. ( )

What. A. Ride! Several years ago, I was privileged to read Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, and as soon as I finished that book, I knew I wanted to keep my eyes open for the sequel to come out. The sequel—Being Elisabeth Elliot—was well worth the wait! In my opinion, this book is just as good as its prequel—if not better. It carries a much different tone, but I loved the way it honestly (and lovingly) portrayed Elisabeth Elliot—a passionate, somewhat sensitive soul, someone who was very human, but at the same time someone who loved and served the Lord to the best of her abilities.

I don’t agree with all of the decisions Elisabeth made along the way, but one of the things I loved the most about this book was how relatable she was. Though our life experiences may be vastly different, I saw myself in many of her words and actions, and that made this not only just an interesting read, but it gave me pause to examine myself. That, in turn, drew me closer to Jesus as I processed different things…it was good. Really good.

One thing I was amazed by throughout the book was the depth of Elisabeth’s thoughts and the way she was able to convey that on paper. I admit that sometimes she used words I wasn’t familiar with (and I thought I had a fairly varied vocabulary—ha!), but it’s refreshing to come across stories of people who lived their lives deeply, intensely, and passionately. It’s also refreshing to see people that are willing to stick their necks out, even when they know they’ll likely face backlash.

If you are wanting to learn more about this well-known Christian, I’d recommend you read both books in this duology. They’re excellent, and I think I can just about guarantee that you’ll come away blessed and encouraged by the read. I certainly was, and I’d love to get these books in print someday. I’m also planning on keeping an eye out for other Ellen Vaughn books—her writing style is easy to follow, engaging, and thought-provoking in itself. Though these books are biographies, they are not dry, factual relating of facts—the books live and breathe. I also appreciated the depth of quotations and other research that went into these books. In all, I greatly enjoyed this read, and highly recommend Being Elisabeth Elliot!

(Note: This book does contain some adult content, mostly as related through Elisabeth’s journals. If you’re familiar with her writing, you will know her candid writing style.)

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

INFORMATIVE!

Like many others, the writing and speaking ministry of Elisabeth Elliot has made a significant impact on my life. When Ellen Vaughn wrote her masterful biography, “Becoming Elisabeth Elliot,” I learned much about what made Elisabeth who she was. I highly recommend it as a precursor to reading this second book.

I have been anticipating Vaughn’s “Being Elisabeth Elliot: The Authorized Biography: Elisabeth’s Later Years” and, again, have learned a great deal. Vaughn has based her book on Elisabeth’s many Journals and other personal writings and correspondence. In her first book, Vaughn portrays Elisabeth as a woman who is confident in her Lord and steadfastly doing His will. In this book, Vaughn allows Elisabeth’s Journals to speak for themselves and shows her continued confidence in her Lord. Still, she also admits to vulnerabilities, fragilities, lack of self-confidence, and her longing to write a fictional novel with a profound spiritual message that would reach the avant-garde and other deep thinkers of the day. Elisabeth knew what it meant to suffer as she buried two husbands she loved dearly after being married to each of them for only a short time. The discussion of her third marriage was illuminating in various ways, both bad and good. It was a difficult marriage, but during that time is when she wrote the majority of her books, as well as when her beloved Gateway to Joy Radio Series came about. I did not think Book Two read as smoothly as Book One. Initially, I found it slow, but as I got further into it, it became easier to read. I felt like the ending was abrupt. Perhaps that came from writing from Journals. Overall this was an excellently researched book!

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by B&H Books & NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own and without influence. ( )