Eric Liddell: Finish the Race

Trailblazers

by John W. Keddie

As a young child Eric Liddell lived in the exotic climate of China. His parents worked there as missionaries, teaching the good news of Jesus. Eric?'s life from then on brought him to boarding school in England, university in Edinburgh and the fame of Olympic Stardom in Paris. But with that fame came trouble as he struggled to stand up for his Christian faith. Eric?'s strong belief in keeping the Lord?'s Day as a day of worship was challenged when his 100 metres race was scheduled for the Sunday. Eric?'s strength of conviction and his subsequent win in the 400 metres have made him a hero and a role model for many young men and women. But his life was so much more than winning tapes and starters orders his whole life was a race for God. This race took him back to the country of his birth China. This country became the country of his death in a Prisoner of War camp. The man who became known affectionately as the Flying Scotsman in the end lived and died in China thousands of miles from his native land and his athletic conquests.

Genres: Biography, Audiobook

159 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

Reviews

[Joshua Schwisow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written biography for children on the life of Eric Liddell. Recommended

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this I am thinking I must watch Chariots of Fire again.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A biography of the Olympic athlete and missionary. We pushed through because it was in our curriculum and I thought that he would be a good person for my children to learn more about, especially his faith in times of adversity. But we’re not a sportsy family, and my kids did not find this book engaging. I’m pretty sure they’d rate this lower, since the word “boring” was used regularly. I’m thinking that they’re not at a good age range for longer biographies yet. Maybe we should have just watched Chariots of Fire instead?

[Bobby Bonser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good, simple account of the life of a quiet, modest and inspiring man who was completely taken in a life of sacrifice and praise of Christ.
The book may be a bit simplistic, and perhaps an overemphasis on the "Lord's Day" in my opinion and and underemphasis on Christ Himself. Otherwise I found this a very edifying book.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine telling of a remarkable life. I think this version I picked up is for children, but tbh I found myself having to plough through it a bit. The telling felt a bit bland, or dry, focusing on dates and such.

Anyway, it was fine and had some high points. It was inspiring to read about Liddell's life or marked humility and devotion.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at the life of a wonderful Christian. I was glad to read the truth behind parts of Eric’s story that were manipulated by the film, Chariots of Fire. I respect his choices even more after reading this biography!

[Enola Stevenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty read a chapter ahead of my eight year old. It's a good overview of Eric's life, but quite dry to be honest.

[James Brixey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a fantastic read, a great story, very inspiring, never drags, as I supposed liddel never did.

[Monica Lit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow... an amazing testimony of how Eric Liddell pointed others to Christ. This is an encouraging story of faith, courage, love ❤️ for Jesus.

[Deon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had always heard about "the guy" in the Chariots of Fire movie. It was not until signing up for this blog tour that I realized his name was Eric Liddell. Eric is known for two things: his racing and his religious conviction. His conviction was that he would not run on Sunday, for it was the Lord's Day. This decision was a difficult one for him. The author says, "He sought no praise from men...By His worthy example of faithfulness of Christ and truth he speaks to succeeding generations, calling them to follow Christ as he did faithfully in his day."

John W. Keddie, the author, starts with the story of Eric’s childhood as the son of missionaries to China. His parents sent him to a boarding school in England where he became a great runner and his talent took him to the Paris Olympics in 1924. After he graduated from college, he left his homeland to be a missionary in his birth country of China. There he would influence Christianity in China for years to come. During his days in China he married Florence, a daughter of missionaries, and had 3 children, one of whom he would never meet. Because of his training in running he learned perseverance. This would be a great asset to him as things became more difficult. While he was in China he was taken captive by the invading Japanese army. It was in their prison that he would spend his last days.

The recommended age for this book is 7-14. There is some information that might be difficult for a younger child to process, but they would be able to get an idea of Eric's life. The discussion questions in the back are a great resource for parents to be able to converse with their children while reading this book. As a parent of a seven-year-old, I would recommend this book as a good introduction to the biographical genre.

This was my first exposure to the Trailblazer series. I am eager to read some of the other stories to my children.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Marcelo Freire]

AMAZING!!!! this book goes into the smallest detail to describe Eric Liddell's life. Loved it.