Being Elisabeth Elliot: The Authorized Biography: Elisabeth’s Later Years

Elisabeth Elliot: The Authorized Biography #2

by Ellen Vaughn, Joni Eareckson Tada (Foreword)

WORLD 2023 Books of the Year, Winner 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.

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

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2023

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

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading Being Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn with fear and trembling. As with most Christian women my age, Elisabeth had been a huge influence on me. Her no nonsense advice had teleported me through the hard years of raising 9 children, even when I found her a little too severe sometimes. I finished Volume 1, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, with a sigh of relief. She had not been canceled and smeared by Vaughn. Much of that first volume reminded me of my own childhood growing up in a little Christian and Missionary Alliance church in DeLand, Florida which was attached to the retirement home for missionaries. I do believe Christ saved me at 5 years old while singing with a very, very old retired missionary SS teacher
(What was her name? What was her name?), “Into my heart, Into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus, Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart Lord Jesus.” He did come in and he did stay. So reading about those old time familiar things was a trip down memory lane. I loved Ellen Vaughn’s candor about Elisabeth’s life and I took her warning that the next volume might be rough.

I was not prepared for reading Being Elisabeth Elliot. It undid me. Having finished it a few hours ago, I cannot stop thinking about Elisabeth and what it all means. So much of it I relate to on a smaller scale. I, too, schedule speaking engagements then put them out of my mind until time to prepare and then spend weeks wondering what I was thinking when I accepted. Why, oh why did I accept it? Until the moment I stand on the podium and the words come together. The biography leaves me with so many questions I really have no right to ask, so many puzzle pieces that my brain is trying to find a place for.

One part of me is so frustrated with Elisabeth and yet I also recognize the thinking patterns that as a Christian woman sound very familiar to me. Elisabeth was so highly intelligent she could convince herself of anything. Watching her, through her journals, talking herself into marrying Lars is painful. I know that whether Elisabeth faced the pain of a life of extreme loneliness because of her temperament or a life trapped in a bad marriage she still had the ultimate marriage as part of the Bride of Christ, but it still stings to read it. I read it without judgement but with a healthy recognition that I can see myself doing something very like this. My own mental gymnastics leading me to dark places. How many dark places am I in now because of my faulty theology or fallen thoughts?

Reading between the lines, perhaps not a wise thing to do with biography which is by nature unreal, it really doesn’t seem like any of Elisabeth’s marriages were truly happy, even her most loved one to Addison Leitch seemed tainted by his own past.

I think my favorite part was hearing about all the books Elizabeth read, some quite shocking. It gave her life after Jim and before Lars a feeling of freedom and exploration, an openness which one might never have guessed from her writings.

All in all, it made me see that the road does indeed go uphill all the way. I was hoping I might have reached some sort of apex. But it also made me realize that I can trust God with even my mistakes and bad thought patterns.

I honestly can’t begin to explain what happened to me while reading this book. I am so thankful Ellen Vaughn wrote it. It is such a horrible thing to put humans on pedestals. We can contribute to the suffering of one another by puffing each other up. So many falls of “famous” Christians are probably just God’s mercies. I guess Elisabeth had enough thorns in her flesh to keep her humble.

It all reminded me of Psalm 16 (As sung by The Corner Room, especially)

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    I have no good apart from you.”
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
    in whom is all my delight.[
The sorrows of those who run after[c] another god shall multiply;
    their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
    or take their names on my lips.
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
    you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
    my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
    or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
    in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.


AND

Psalm 126 as sung by Bifrost Arts

Our mouths they were filled, filled with laughter
Our tongues they were loosed, loosed with joy
Restore us, O Lord
Restore us, O Lord
Although we are weeping
Lord, help us keep sowing
The seeds of Your Kingdom
For the day You will reap them
Your sheaves we will carry
Lord, please do not tarry
All those who sow weeping will go out with songs of joy
The nations will say, "He has done great things!"
The nations will sing songs of joy
Restore us, O Lord
Restore us, O Lord

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has taken me a few days to pinpoint the feeling I experienced upon finishing this book. I thought at first it was anger. I realize now what it was: this book broke my heart.

Elisabeth Elliot's writing helped shape my attitudes towards obedience to Christ, and of course I knew something about the early drama of her life. (I learned much more about those years from Ellen Vaughn's first volume Becoming Elisabeth Elliot.) This volume opens up Elisabeth's journals to share her lesser-known second act.

She returns to the U.S. as one of the most famous widows and single mothers. Her writings and insights are in high demand, but somehow the real Elisabeth Elliot can't or won't conform to the image of a heroic missionary wife so many have cast her in. She struggles to find true kindred spirits in the Christian communities where she lives and visits--some are openly hostile, others just don't seem to get her (nor she them).

Her struggles are heartbreaking. When she does write, the audiences by and large fail to appreciate her message (although a precious few find her honesty captivating and relatable.) Most of the time, though, she despairs of ever writing anything that lives up to her heroes.

Vaughn has given us a fully human version of Elliot, which many readers will deeply appreciate. Her wit and candor reminded me of my dear friend Katie who died unexpectedly on the mission field almost a year ago. Katie lived in an isolated village in Africa for much of the past 11 years, laboring alongside her husband and children to bring literacy to a tribal people so that through reading they might be able to drink in the precious words about Jesus. But Katie never cared to be idealized. She was so honest about the difficulties and challenges and sacrifices of her life, and I miss her beautiful, funny updates.

On the other hand, Vaughn's own husband passed away during the writing of this book, and this perhaps led Vaughn to dedicate a majority of this book to the slow, painful death of Elliot's beloved husband Addison Leitch. This leaves almost no time at all for the final 40 years of Elisabeth's life. (Perhaps Vaughn is setting us up for the third book in a trilogy?) Vaughn also drops a few bombshells into this story, potential scandals that it may be too late to explore. Part of these omissions aren't Vaughn's fault--Elliot's third husband, Lars Glen, burned all the journals that record their 38 years of marriage--but I sure was left with a ton of unanswered questions.

Elliot had a hard life. Those who crave influence may envy her career, but I doubt anyone will envy the personal struggles she endured. She had three husbands but it seems as if only one of those marriages was truly happy. She frequently felt misunderstood and distanced from those around her. She had regrets and sorrows. We can read this book and take joy that in the light of eternity with Jesus, she would consider these earthly sorrows to be light and momentary.

[Abigail Westbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew, this is a heavy book. I deeply appreciated this look at the woman whose writings have impacted me so much over the years, though it was heartbreaking to have a closer look at the painful experiences she went through.

As other reviewers have noted, there are some private details that I think the author would have been more respectful to omit (what would Elisabeth think?!) - while perhaps not skipping quite so much in the last 38 years of Elisabeth’s life. I was left with so many questions! Yet I am sure Vaughn had her reasons for writing as she did - it was an extraordinarily difficult task, as she stated several times. Doubtless part of the equation is that many people in the latter years of Elisabeth’s life are still living and may have had input on what Vaughn included. Seeing so much of the author’s own life in the book did seem a bit surprising, but I can see how those experiences enabled her to write with greater compassion. The chapters describing Add’s death were beautifully poignant and tear-jerking.

I relate to Elisabeth on many levels, including a confusing personality, social ineptitude, height, and a conservative upbringing. I know what that aching loneliness is like, and how I, too, can “talk myself into” choices that previously would have seemed unthinkable. I do not condemn her for the unfortunately very poor decision she made in her third marriage…I very well may have done the same in her shoes. She was smart and practical, but also very vulnerable in that season. And I can fully understand how after that wedding Elisabeth, being who she was, saw no other choice but to take life one day at a time in continuous surrender to what she saw as God’s will. “Do the next thing.”

Knowing even the gist of what she was experiencing through all those years of public ministry explains so much about how she approached it all. Without a critical husband reading over her shoulder, what else might she have written? How might the tone of her message have been different if she had been allowed to heal and blossom and grow in an atmosphere of freedom and support (such as she enjoyed with Add)? Emotional abuse ties a person in mental knots and is a horribly stunting thing to experience. It is heartbreaking but perhaps not surprising that her brilliant mind eventually just shut down after years of that kind of pressure.

And yet - even with all of that! - look at how God used her! I personally credit Elisabeth’s writings on loneliness and suffering on keeping my faith in tact through a decade of depression and confusion. Her calm, practical voice on the radio day after day offered wisdom I deeply needed through years of isolation. I know countless others who have also been deeply impacted by her life. Perhaps her message isn’t for everyone (and no, I don’t agree with her on all points either!), but whose ministry is?

I think that’s why I am walking away from this book with a sense of fresh hope. If God can use someone as broken and, well, *human* as Elisabeth Elliot, perhaps He can use me, too? I praise God for her example of strength and faithfulness in the face of extremely hard circumstances.

[Gretchen Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being Elisabeth Elliot is a startling conclusion to the life story of a woman whom many of us have long counted as one of our heroes.

The first volume by Ellen Vaughn, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, was gripping and even compelling. But there wasn't a lot that surprised or shocked me—other than the extent of the challenges of the relationship between Rachel Saint and Elisabeth—because I'd read Elisabeth's books Through Gates of Splendor and The Savage, My Kinsman, as well as The Journals of Jim Elliot and her daughter Valerie's book Devotedly.

However, Being Elisabeth Elliot had some plot twists and character flaws I didn't see coming.

There's always the potential to be walking into a field of landmines when you read the biography of someone whom you have revered and respected. After all, we don't have to look any further than the Old Testament to see that even a man after God's own heart has many mistakes and bad decisions in his past!

But as I processed the revelations in Being Elisabeth Elliot (spoiler alert: primarily Elisabeth's interactions with men, the origins of her relationship with Addison, and the darker side of Lars and their marriage), I found myself wishing we'd heard more of these details in her own books and radio talks. What if she'd shared with us about some of her own temptations when she spoke of passion and purity? What if she would have told us of some red flags to watch out for as we measured the mark of a man? She truly spoke wisdom gained from experience—but I wish she had felt free to share a bit more of the context at times.

As the authorized biography, Being Elisabeth Elliot draws extensively from journals in private collections that other biographers have not had access to. I couldn't help but wonder if the journal entries might tend to present the more extreme heights and depths of emotion, as the private place Elisabeth put thoughts and feelings she didn't share with others. Thus, this biography might need to be read along with others to get a more complete picture of the life of Elisabeth Elliot.

One thing I found very interesting was how much commentary—historical and philosophical, as well as personal—Vaughn added to the story. This did help provide cultural and historical context. And the background as it related to missions (particularly in Becoming) showed how much Elisabeth was a product of her times—and yet how much she bucked the traditional evangelical norms of the day.

Vaughn is indisputably a brilliant writer. It was somewhat surprising to have so much of the author's story in the biography. And yet, it perhaps lent insight into why the author highlighted what she did about Elisabeth's life.

Being Elisabeth Elliot really seemed to end when Elisabeth married Lars in 1977. There's only one more chapter in the book—plus an epilogue—that takes the reader to the end of Elisabeth's life in 2015. Her extensive speaking and radio ministry of the eighties and nineties gets only passing mention, a seeming oversight in light of how much of an impact it had on me and so many others. This could be due in part to the fact that many of her journals from her third marriage were destroyed. But I almost feel like a third volume could be written about that time, especially considering the extent of the chapters spent on Elisabeth's brief marriage to Addison.

Am I glad I read Being Elisabeth Elliot ? Yes. Would I recommend it to everyone? Most definitely not. If Devotedly was too much for you, then by all means, don't read Being. If you prefer to keep your heroes on a pedestal, then don't read Devotedly—or Vaughn's biographies.

But if Elisabeth Elliot has long been a mentor to you, and you want to know more of what made her the woman she was, consider reading Becoming and Being (along with Devotedly). Next on my TBR is Elisabeth Elliot: A Life, by Lucy S. R. Austen, as I feel it will be beneficial to balance Vaughn's books with another biographer's take.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy!)

[Elizabeth Santelmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay. I’m not sure why people don’t love this. I had always thought of Elisabeth Elliot as rather “one note”.

This book i felt was a very kind telling of someone human who God used to encourage people. No one on the stage is shiny behind the scenes. She was a sinner while living with other sinners, and complications are bound to arise. Add to that PTSD, the pressure of providing fully for a household, and having people yell at her when their faith didn’t match hers. I’m honestly amazed the journals aren’t worse. That’s a lot of pressure for one person.

I loved hearing her less guarded thoughts. She was much more nuanced than I believed based on her blunt communication style. It was beautiful to listen to her explore God outside the box, but makes sense that she spoke what she had concluded for herself.

Some have had a distaste for her sexual desire being written about… uh hello have you read “Passion and Purity” and “Quest for Love” she said as much about Jim in those books as is disclosed about Addison in this one.

It makes me so incredibly sad that her final years were highjacked by someone so controlling. That she was pushed her to preform for his profit. Ellen wondered if without that arrangement we might not have all her non-fiction. But part of me wonders what would have happened if she had been allowed to flourish.

Summed up… tragic, intelligent, and human.

[Abby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where to begin and how to organize my thoughts, great disappointment, and frustration at Vaughn? Throughout the biography Vaughn tried to modernize/“humanize”/ dramatize EE’s story and EE herself, as well as some truths about Scripture and Christianity. (She also frequently used modern, soft lingo of “broken world, brokenness, flawed, messed up people, etc.”) As my husband and I were talking about this book, he made a good point that we are in an age of the death of heroes. Heroes don’t make us feel good about ourselves; we don’t want to work at it like these heroes of faith did. EE never claimed for herself any desire to be up on a pedestal, but always put Christ as the focus. No one who knows EE’s writings or has listened to her would think she wasn’t a sinner.

Vaughn stated she didn’t want to offend, and yet she has. She even admits to “needing to insert more of my own voice in the account.” That is not the job of the biographer.
She inserted her own opinions and views of EE. (At one point she “speaks to Elisabeth” from our present day and questions her! Later she even corrects EE!) She inserts her own preferred vocabulary, which does not fit EE or was how EE herself spoke. She puts aspects of EE’s personality and character in a negative light. Vaughn would: mention things that EE would never do (so why even write it?!); talked about things not pertaining to EE’s story/life at all; divulged details and alluded to aspects of her “intimate life” that we should not ever be privy to; devoted some chapters fully to a particular historical event, current events, politics, retelling EE’s entire novel, and her own husband’s death during the writing of the biography; wrote two strange paragraphs about her own view of death, employing different metaphors and coming off as very secular sounding. I was annoyed by misspellings of two individuals’ names. I was further frustrated at Vaughn’s structuring methods — prolonging parts and extremely shortening/rushing through others, some that needed more explanation.

This book was almost unreadable. I don’t think EE was always treated with dignity. Vaughn drew conclusions and assumptions that just don’t seem true if you truly know EE. Near the end, Vaughn writes this:

“You wouldn't want to write anything that would reflect poorly on Elisabeth," one Christian leader mused.
Well, no, I wouldn't want to, and I don't think I have.”

I believe she has.

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

** The fact it took me 5 months to read this says something. But not sure what. Need to sit on this review for a bit. Teetering between a 4/5 star for me- the author finished this book right after her husband battled a short horrific bout with brain cancer and passed away. 🥹

** It took me about a month to finish up this review. I have thought of this book alot. It made me sad to see how much hardship and sorrow one of my heroes of the faith had gone through. Ellen Vaughn did an amazing job collecting research and piecing together a story that so many have left untold. EE is known for her first few years of life on the mission field. What really made her into the person that she became is what happened later. I appreciate this book now more than ever. Like EE I have been disallusioned with Christiany and so called Christians and great figures of the faith. What really matters is love for God and others and a determination to stay the course. She went through so much hardship in the deaths of husbands. Her last marriage was a shamble and a desperate plea for love. She saw the hypocrisy and shallowness in so many areas of her formative years- yet she kept on as much as she knew how.

I am thankful for books like this one that don't paint everything in gold but tells it as it is. The author herself went through major sorrow and grief as she was finishing up this book. I feel like I was able to pick up on that was the book was ending.

💬𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵:𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴/

[Kaetlyn Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

My critiques of this book are the same I had with Volume One, but amplified. Firstly, the writing style and layout of the choppy quotations is a mess and makes it a really slow read that does not feel good in the brain. Many things that were in EE’s personal journals (because they were just that—personal) quite frankly did not need to be shared. But hey, sex sells, so maybe Vaughn knew she would need a little help in that. I felt no need for the author’s personal commentary, opinions, and other life details to be inserted into the story. A biography is not the place for that. Also, her very clear disagreement with EE’s biblical views of femininity, masculinity, and marriage roles is so strange to me. Elisabeth Elliot had struggles and skeletons as we all do and I think we can find encouragement in that, but personally I think this biography did her dirty and there was an undertone of disdain throughout the whole book. And that’s really disappointing.

[Dee Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible sale (#14 of 40) 11 hours 25 min. Narrated by Connie Shabshab(A)

"Place your trust in an eternal, unchanging God. Rest assured that His eternal heart will love you as much tomorrow as He does today and always."
"Leave all in the Hands that were wounded for you." Elizabeth Elliot from Keep A Quiet Heart

I am undone by this second part of the biography of Elizabeth Elliot. Elizabeth was blessed to find a second love with a man Addison Leach, whose own mind and interests made them kindred spirits, and then after only two years, she watched helplessly as his body was eaten away by cancer. Elizabeth is buried next to Addison Leach.
How did Elizabeth put on a "face" to speak in public and greet thousands of admirers while she lived under the domination and pettiness of her third husband? If ever a woman turned to Christ and threw herself on Him completely as her true Bridegroom and the Bible as her source of spiritual nourishment, it was EE.. Her most productive years as a writer were during her third marriage. She wrote from her own experiences with suffering and finding fulfillment in Christ alone.
During the writing of this biography, the author Ellen Vaughn's own husband, who had been in remission from cancer, had a recurrence, and he died only three weeks after it had been identified. Ellen must also have relied heavily on her Savior as she wrote of Elizabeth's life as she ministered to Addison.
I highly recommend reading some of the more in-depth summaries by other Goodreads reviewers. My heart and mind will take time to heal.

[Maggie Kagin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elisabeth Elliot felt that not every Christian’s life is a show of victory or can be tied up with a bow, and in this book I found that to be true about her life as well. After reading the first book, I expected this one to be about the second half of her inspirational and victorious life—but it wasn’t that way. Just as the first book humanized her (which I appreciated), this one also showed her struggles and how human and imperfect she really was. I side-eyed how her relationship with her second husband began. I pitied that her third marriage was a mistake. If you’re looking for an inspirational story about Elisabeth Elliot, this isn’t it. If you want the true story about an idolized Christian figure, this might encourage you that no Christian has the perfect, victorious life.

[Linda Coblentz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elisabeth Elliot has long been the Christian voice I have esteemed and respected the most in all my youngish life. Vaughn is an excellent writer, my favorite biographer, and she graciously handles the truth of one’s story while never being unkind.
Tears were spilled as I traveled through the pages and witnessed how Elisabeth practiced her faith and lived her life. I think it goes without saying that one will never whole heartedly endorse every aspect of another’s life and decisions. Elisabeth’s is no exception. I cannot reconcile every tidbit, but I did empathize.
There are what I call 3 “agonizing stories” within this book. 1) Elisabeth’s first year back in the US as she tried to sort her thoughts to write a book. I felt her agony as she processed her life up until then, but couldn’t encapsulate her changed ideas, values, and beliefs. I felt the desire for her to “just get on with it” as I looked back from the future because I knew she would eventually get there. I didn’t like the feeling of mundane suspense as her book delayed on and on, but I realized why it was important for me to experience it, as it were, with Elisabeth.
The 2) agonizing story was her learning and then writing the story of Kenneth Strachan. I saw the parallels of Elisabeth as a biographer attempting to do justice to the truth while trying to make sense of the story…just like Vaughn did with hers. Elisabeth couldn’t bring that book to a happy, tied-with-a-bow end anymore than Vaughn could.
Finally, the 3) agonizing story was watching Elisabeth make the worst mistake of her life. In the end, Elisabeth was a human being who was filled with feelings, thoughts, desires, and beliefs that were nuanced and products of her culture and influences.
How I wish her life could’ve been different. How I wish her teaching didn’t have a blind spot (submission in domestic abuse). How I wish her life would’ve ended differently.
Upon reading the last page, I didn’t feel the contented feelings one might when a story comes to full completion and the climax has ended with everyone who was important healthy and happy. Instead I wept at the losses and marveled at what was.
As I have since considered what it means to have the triumphant endings to any story, I have concluded that to see such endings is to see God. But when we see the convoluted endings that leave us wanting to more it is to see humanity. As uncomfortable as the latter makes me, I think it necessary to have both.

[Brian Pate · Rating 4 out of 5]

If volume 1 was inspirational, volume 2 was thought-provoking. Vaughn is a great author who holds the readers' interest from the very beginning, though she unfortunately inserts herself into the story (by directly interacting and disagreeing with Elisabeth and by including the story of her own suffering). Overall, she succeeds, I think, at telling the truth in love.

I was aware of missionary Elisabeth (1950s) and author Elizabeth (80s and 90s). But Vaughn introduced me to wild Elisabeth (60s) and smothered Elisabeth (in her third marriage). I'm not quite sure what to make of the many inconsistencies between Elisabeth's public and private life. She wrote "Passion and Purity," but enjoyed romantic advances from married men. She rebuked others for lack of discipline, but her journals reveal intense struggle and weakness. She was disgusted by the rock culture of the 60s, but was infatuated with a sophisticated lifestyle that was equally secular.

Two observations: (1) My guess is that she was figuring out who she was and what she believed in the 12 years between her first and second marriage. She was casting off the restrictions of her strict upbringing, but without the help of a local church. She did not seem well-grounded theologically.

(2) She seemed to find more in common with elite unbelievers in NYC than with the simple and (sometimes) superficial Christians who invited her to speak. She always wanted to write a great piece of literature that would impress unbelievers, but in the Lord's providence, she wrote straightforward books for believers.

One final critique of the book: Vaughn relates Elisabeth's ministry of the 80s and 90s in just a sentence or two. I realize we don't have her journals from those years, but certainly there is more to tell that might warrant a third volume. The book feels unfinished.

[Althea Graber · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We can’t paint Elisabeth’s story with lovely pastels and blurred edges, pretty and placid. It is through the sharp edges and cracks in the veneer that God’s Grace, no matter what, shines through.”

This book was rather surprising here and there but I think the above quote sums it up well. Because Elisabeth was such an avid writer in her journals, we are able to read more of her deepest thoughts and feelings and as a result it’s a little startling at times. She is human and I highly doubt she expected her journals to be published one day. Overall I really enjoyed the book and thought the author did a great job of telling the truth in love, like she set out to do.

P.S. I’ll be making a bonfire ASAP to burn my old journals. 😅

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have the same mixed feelings about Volume II of this set as I did about Volume I.

This is the authorized biography, meaning that Ellen Vaughn was given access to Elliot's journals and private papers, rather than just researching public items as Lucy S.R. Austen, author of Elisabeth Elliot: A Life had to do.

Vaughn stated in Chapter 2 that her goal was to tell the truth, in love. I appreciate that she did not want to write a hagiography, or biography that only points out the good points in a person's life. And aspects of Elliot's life that were not so positive needed to be explored. Overall, I was glad to read much of this story of Elisabeth Elliot, a hero of mine for many years. The negative aspects that are coming out publicly actually enhance my view of her. She made mistakes and was tempted. She was not better or more holy than any of us.

However, truth can be told without getting gratuitous or telling too much. We didn't need to be told details about her physical relationship with Leitch - their passions were already obvious. Several instances of this were totally unnecessary, as were details about women's cycles that were included at several places. Just leave that out.

Certain inclusions should have been modified. Even if Lars Gren's writing abilities were poor, I think it was unnecessary, embarrassing, and hurtful to include specific examples of that. The fellow author in whom Elliot expressed interest after Leitch's death should not have been named - the story could have been written without using his name. And no good reason exists for including the story about the workmen at her home who told stories about working at the nudist camp.

Two more things. The author inserted herself into the story too much. Another issue was the editing. Several errors were obvious and should have been caught by a good editor.

In other words - telling the whole story of someone's life can be accomplished in a more tasteful way than Ellen Vaughn did in this book. Under the cover of telling the whole story, she appears to gravitate toward somewhat salacious information. Elliot was a hugely influential , but also hugely complicated, figure in 20th century American Christianity. Her story can be told, honestly and truthfully, without tarnishing it with indelicate details.

[Kristen Rosener · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elisabeth Elliot wrote, “Read Christian biographies so you can see the hand of God in all the ups and downs, the sorrows and joys, the perplexities and dangers, the disasters of one individual life. It will help you to trust Him.”

What a treasure of a book. My knowledge of Elisabeth Elliot was limited to a few basic facts: she was raised in a Christian family, attended a Christian college, married missionary Jim Elliot, had a baby girl, lived in Ecuador, lost Jim to martyrdom, came back to the states and remarried, and wrote books. But that's not the summation of her life. Elisabeth's life and her suffering did not stop when Jim died, and what I loved the most about this beautiful sequel was the authenticity of her sanctification. Sometimes Christians make sanctification out to be mess-free, but the truth is - living and growing in Christ is a mess. Sanctification includes asking hard questions and wrestling with truths we may not ever understand this side of eternity. And often, sanctification means foolish decisions and deep, deep suffering that those choices cause.

Yet I have recognized that the women who have impacted me the most for Christ - whether from a distance, up close, or through the pages of a book - have been women whom God has led through unspeakable trials and temptations; women whom God has held steady in His hand despite much sorrow. In that light, the author Ellen Vaughn tells the reader, "We can’t paint Elisabeth’s story with lovely pastels and blurred edges, pretty and placid. It is through the sharp edges and cracks in the veneer that God’s Grace, no matter what, shines through.”

"Being Elisabeth Elliot" picks up after Jim's martyrdom and in the years that follow, we see a side of Elisabeth that has no patience for religious clichés or spiritual how-to methods. She was a weak woman who simply loved a mighty God. The bombshells in her later years somehow both grieved me and gave me a sigh of relief. I found all the shocking things I never knew a testimony of God's sovereign work in all His children, regardless of our pitiful attempts and human sinfulness - to complete what He began so that Christ may be glorified.

This is one of my favorite biographies, and Ellen Vaughn did a masterful job introducing us to Elisabeth, the person.

[Alicia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Love Elisabeth Elliot, really disliked this book. Vaughn received access to the entire collection of EE’s letters, journals, and private papers and I do wonder if the family wishes they had chosen a more skilled writer. Vaughn relied heavily on EE’s writing and struggled to join it all together in a coherent story. The writing was fragmented and disjointed. There were grammatical errors and mistakes. It read like a choppy script and it was extremely difficult to get through.

Beyond the disappointing writing, some of the content revealed in the book was very personal and private and I had to wonder if it was included to satiate the cultural desire for a shock factor. There is value in showing the humanness of our heroes, but so much could have been said about EE’s struggles and shortcomings without printing the gory details from her personal journals that she likely never intended to be published.

Overall, very disappointing book.

[Rebecca Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Our hero of the faith was not a bronze statue, impervious to fissures; nor was she an airbrushed paragon of virtue, untested by the things that thwart and frustrate us all…but with any hero worth her weight, she would set people straight who idolized her, pointing them only to the hero who will never let them down, Jesus Christ” - Joni Eareckson Tada

Deeply moving. Lots of thoughts. Still processing. Joni says it better than I ever could.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isn't easy to read. I, for one, like to think of my heroes as always making the right choices and living a victorious Christian life. In this book, we are given a realistic look at Elisabeth Elliot's later life and see her as the real, flawed person she was.

I'm not saying I enjoyed this story, but I also was encouraged that God uses (and continues to use) real people with major flaws and who make big mistakes to do His work.


Content notes: Elisabeth is very honest (as is this biographer) about struggles, temptations, and such. I recommend this bio for 18 and older.

[Kelly Gwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of disclaimers and “warnings” about this book before starting. The author herself at the beginning of the book sets the reader’s expectations in order with reminders and caveats, as she knew some would come away shaken or disillusioned by the revelation of Elisabeth Elliot’s humanity, imperfections, and some surprising aspects of her lifestyle and personality.

As a long time professing “idolizer” if Elisabeth myself, I waded into the story with a bit of timidity, fearing I’d come away with my admiration for this woman diluted or even lost. In the end, I closed the back cover of this biography with a swirling mixture of heaviness and sorrow, inspiration and above all a soaring trust in the Lord Jesus. The telling of her complicated story has in no way crushed my vision of who I thought Elisabeth Elliot was, but has enhanced her and endeared her to me all the more. In some ways because I was delighted to agree with her or share her thoughts and views, and in other aspects, simply because I found comfort in her imperfection.

There are certainly unexpected twists regarding her choices and very surprising glimpses into her mind, heart, theology, interests, philosophy of life, and view of the world. But for me, I have found her all the more worthy of emulating, as her constant attempt at sincerity of heart and integrity of character and longing to follow the will of God permeated her inner and outer life, for better or, what some might say, “worse.”

She has always made me love Christ and trust Him more. I have always felt a kindred connection to her. Ellen Vaughn’s telling of the later (and less familiar) years of her life has only added to that, and I’m so grateful to have had access to her life in this way.

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very illuminating and inspiring! With vivid, real, raw, and vulnerable writing, I think the author skilfully managed to achieve the goal she set forth in writing this: to tell of Elisabeth's later, twisty years lovingly and truthfully.
I related a lot to many of the seasons of faith Elisabeth went through with struggling with legalism as well as learning to see God in struggle.
The most excruciating parts to read for me were her second husband's battle with cancer which, was extensively detailed, and her abusive and controlling third marriage. I felt her struggles with abuse so hard as I've experienced similar things, and it was truly heartbreaking to see how a combination of a distorted form of her tightly held theology and desperate loneliness kept her imprisoned in her third marriage. However, I appreciated how the author chose to portray these flaws openly and honestly as every person can relate to having cracks and flaws where God's grace shines brightly through. If anything, I admire Elisabeth more greatly for having human imperfections like we all do and not being an ingenuine, evangelistic robot.
This biography has given me much to think on, and I'm thankful that I was able to read it and recommend you read both this and Ellen Vaughn's prior EE biography to this one.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a bummer. Not because of the quality of the book but poor Elisabeth’s life. Glad I read it

[Christina DeVane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew going into this book that several people did not like it, and there were some heavy themes.
I definitely understand better why they had those feelings, and it took me awhile to process myself.

More than anything, this book left me with so many more questions than answers. It also made me sad on a lot of different levels. Yet I appreciated seeing the raw, honest parts of her life. She was human with her own struggles and faced so many hardships especially after Jim’s death.

The author does a good job at the beginning of the book laying the groundwork for an unexpected story.

After she returned to the states from Ecuador she had a hard time with the view of missions within American Christianity and certain aspects of her subculture. I have felt some of the same sentiments as there are those who want to paint missions and ministry in all rosy colors and act like it’s all positive, amazing works of God. Yes there is that, but it is also filled with hard, difficult, this-doesn’t-make-sense situations.

It’s interesting how this view also shaped her own legacy as she is lauded as a woman of God and a hero to so many women, yet they don’t know about her intense grief, struggles, bad marriage, and poor decisions.

There were some definite eyebrow-raising moments in meeting her 2nd husband. The sparks were flying almost right away, yet his wife was still alive and dying from cancer.👀
Addison told her he wanted to kiss her and not a holy one either! This made me 🤣🤭
His diagnosis and battle with cancer was hard, but how he dealt with it was the saddest of all. He seemed to despair of God and make life miserable for her.😔

Being single again she took renters into her home. At one point she would time their showers and tell them to stop sleeping in!🤣🤣

Then Lars, …. I have the most questions for you…
How the author portrays you is not very friendly and it seems her 3rd and longest marriage (38 years) to you was not a pleasant one.
Yet maybe because of Lars that is why she wrote so many books and had her radio program??

The ending seemed abrupt and blunt. The fact that the author’s own husband died of cancer while she was finishing this book I do believe plays into the melancholy conclusion of her story. I really wanted to hear more about Elizabeth’s life in the 80’s and 90’s when she had a large ministry platform. -not this book!

Yet through all of this, I still highlighted and tabbed so many pages. Despite her difficult circumstances she never despaired of God, I do believe her faith was rock solid, and she submitted to a difficult husband. In some ways I have more respect for her knowing more what she really experienced in daily life.

I discussed this book with friends and it helped to process some of these quandaries.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admired Elisabeth Elliot before the book and I admire her even more now. I got lost in her struggles with everyday life and appreciated the snippets from Elisabeth's journal. My first reaction to her journal was to protest and say, "No! Don't share that." But the truth stands that the family authorized this biography. Elisabeth's goal was to honor the Lord and the author used her journals to accomplish that goal. She relates to us less- than -perfect women and gives us hope from the Word of God. She also gives a clear picture of how one can make wrong choices if not careful.

Refrain from going into this book with expectations or preconceived ideas. If you do it will likely result in a disappointing read. To better understand it, put aside what you think you know and see Elisabeth as she saw herself. We all have questions. We all deal with less than ideal situations. We all have unfulfilled desires of one kind or another and we all make mistakes. Why would Elisabeth's story be any different? From the first page to the last get to know Elisabeth Elliot and you may see a little of yourself. Let her story be told. Learn from her sorrows and rejoice in her joys.

[Gina Dalfonzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I know Ellen Vaughn personally.)

I appreciate Ellen's commitment to careful, thorough research and especially to honesty. This story is not always pretty, and at times it must have been very difficult to tell. For one thing, she drops a bomb about Elisabeth's beloved second husband, Addison Leitch, "try[ing] to go too far with relationships with female students," presumably while married to his first wife. I don't know if this was unknown before, but I think it must have been -- I can't find any references to it elsewhere -- so it can't have been easy to break the news. (I think it would be beneficial to know more about exactly what Elliot knew and when she knew it. It would help to put a lot of her writing and teaching in perspective. I asked Ellen about it on Facebook and she said she'd be in touch, so I may update this review later in accordance with that.)

At any rate, she makes good use of the materials and interviews she was able to access, and she has created a compulsively readable book. And she did it, as she tells us openly, during a time of great personal grief and turmoil, which is especially admirable.

[Allie Carlisle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think everyone should read both of these biographies before reading any of Elizabeth Elliot’s books. I have benefitted so much from Elisabeth Elliot’s books and radio shows, but I had the (apparently common) notion that she was an ivory tower saint to whom obedience came naturally and couldn’t possibly understand those of us to whom obedience does not come naturally. This book graciously shattered that notion and told the story of her grace-filled life so beautifully. Emphasis on grace-filled. Elisabeth Elliot’s heart was as prone to evil and slow to good as my own. And she didn’t always think the right things or make the right decisions. But in one thing she was apparently consistent - she knew God’s Word well and earnestly sought His will for her life. She was imperfect, and her life certainly didn’t end with a grand bow at center stage before the curtains closed. But she was in Christ, and she needed Him daily. And I find that so very comforting.

Ellen Vaughn handled the task of telling Elisabeth’s story so wonderfully. I know every reader will benefit from her honesty, detail, care in writing this book.

[Emily Naatjes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good and so heartbreaking at the same time. I love Elizabeth Elliot not because of what she did but because of how she loved and trusted in the Lord. All that being said, this book was hard for me to read. Not because it’s boring but because it was so emotionally consuming. Elizabeth Elliot’s life is full of heartbreak, and this book shows you the darkest and saddest parts. In this book, you get to see the consequences of living in a sinful world, but you also see the hope and strength someone can only get from the Lord. I don’t agree with all of Elizabeth's choices, but her strong convictions and dedication to God are encouraging. I highly recommend this book if you’re okay with being very sad.

[Matt Redmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly the best biography I’ve read.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to a podcast with the author and when asked what she hoped readers would get from reading Being EE, she said, “I hope the reader has a rollicking good time.” THAT, I DID!!

This book was so good. I absolutely loved midlife Elisabeth right up until she started her relationship with Addison. She was interesting and adventurous and thoughtful. She was reflective and curious. She was strong and confident. I love that she wanted to expose the realities of American missions abroad in No Graven Image. I loved her trip to Jerusalem. I loved that she wrote what she saw and thought…not what others thought she should write.

She drank wine, she bought Playboy magazine because she heard it had good writing. She read humanist novels with appreciation. She got frustrated with her mom. She hiked and skied and lived in a minimalist home in the mountains of New Hampshire. She gave North American evangelicalism a side eye and a sigh. She had what I would consider sketchy, close relationships with married men. (Some wanted to sleep with her, others just declared they were in love with her)

I really loved Elisabeth between her first and second marriages.

But as life rolled on for our girl, it became clear to this reader EE’s weaknesses, the most glaring of which was her relationship with men. She did not have a great track record choosing men. Jim didn’t seem that into her. Addison was married when they developed feelings for each other (and can we talk about the throw away line: “Addison was a sensual person. This had caused him in the past to try to go too far with relationships with female students and other behaviors that would never be tolerated today.” Excuse me, Ms. Vaughn, what?! Can we get a little more info on this? This was not footnoted nor expounded on, but I would love to hear more. 🤨) And her marriage to Lars was so bad that it wasn’t even included in the biography.

Elisabeth was known for her complementarian views and I was a great fan of Passion and Purity in my younger years. But life showed me something different and my views changed. Reading through her journal entries, you see how she did not seem to think she had worth unless she was with a man. She needed the admiration and affirmation of men in a way that I do not relate to and seemed almost enslaved to them. Even the fact that she seemed to take in so many male boarders is kind of baffling. The author is well aware of this.
Elisabeth: “He makes me feel like a woman. Is there anything more important in a man-woman relationship?”
Vaughn: “‘well, yes,’ I think to myself, sitting in my office decades later.”

The end of the book was heartbreaking. I really did want the best ending for EE but it didn’t wrap up well. So much suffering, both in and out of her control. What would Elisabeth’s ministry had been like without that last marriage? I can only imagine. Even better, if she had been able to get out of the vice grip of submission and got out of that marriage. I bet she would’ve given hope to many other women in her same situation.

Vaughn has stated that there was much she didn’t include out of respect for Elisabeth. I appreciate that. Vaughn is too vague in places, but I’m assuming that is intentional. I kept wondering if she was saving a third part for after Lars dies and she might feel better writing about him. But she has said it is only two. She has given us enough information to understand a little bit of the suffering that Elisabeth went through in her third marriage, I can’t imagine what she didn’t print.

Mrs. Vaughn, thank you for this rollicking good time. It was a rollercoaster but I couldn’t put it down. I imagine Elisabeth left her journals to be read (except for those that Lars burned 🤨) on purpose to emphasize that which she told us in No Graven Image. For that, I am grateful.

[Katelynn O'Lessker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant and refreshingly necessary.

If the first volume left you inspired by Elisabeth Elliot’s devotion to Christ and made you ready to follow him—as she had—into whatever realms he might call you to; this second volume reminds you of the cost of such a call. The answers to her echoed prayer of Betty Scott Stam that the Lord “work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever” are emblazoned on each page.

It’s not often that we are privy to the refining fire through which others walk, and while I’m confident this book does not represent the totality of her fire, it sketches it clearly enough to have a more accurate vision than one might have conjured on their own. I knew, like most do, that Elisabeth Elliot had endured suffering. What I hadn’t fully grasped before this book though, was that her suffering was not confined to the Ecuadorian jungle. Rather, it was the hallmark of her life.

I was not uplifted by this second part in the way that I was by the first (which had a profound impact on my personal life), but I am braced by it, which I think is an equally essential part of the Christian life. After all, we are called to count the cost and take up our cross if we are to be followers of Christ. In our twisted ways of pride, we often confuse glory and glamor, believing that the glory produced by suffering will somehow also appease our idolatry of glamour, accolades, and praise. We agree to suffering as part of the bargain of the Christian life, but mainly because our understanding of suffering is too narrow and our vision for how we imagine we will endure the suffering when it comes is synthetic.

This fuller account of Elisabeth Elliot’s life reminds us that suffering produces an eternal weight of glory, not a temporal one. It exhorts us to fix our eyes on Heaven’s gates, looking only to eternity for the consummation of our hope. It is deeply encouraging, in the most sobering of ways, to see that EE was able to endure suffering, not because she was especially courageous or extraordinarily sanctified, but because she embraced Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord.

I’ll be pondering this book for a while, allowing the leaven to work it’s way deeper into my heart and mind. Do we understand the lifelong implications of suffering? Do we believe that God works through suffering in ways that will only be known on the other side of eternity? Are we willing to accept that? Is our understanding of Christ as Lord solid enough to buoy us when the obedience required is that of walking into a furnace? Do we have the sure and solid hope of Christ’s finished work as an anchor for our souls or do we find ourselves content to live with lesser hopes that will eventually drift away long before we near the shores of eternity? Do we believe God is good as one of his immutable attributes or is do we just believe his goodness is manifested when we things go our way? Are we willing to suffer for God because we believe he is worthy of all that we have and all that we are? Are we able to bear his work of sanctification with patience and trust or will we give up and give in when we realize we aren’t as godly as we thought? Do we trust his providence, his love, his care, his wisdom, his discipline, his provision as our Shepherd? What does it mean to walk with Christ for a lifetime and do we trust him to keep us all the way?

[Esther Filbrun · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.