For the Glory: The Life of Eric Liddell

by Duncan Hamilton

‘Eric Liddell deserves a definitive biography. This is it.’Sunday Times, Books of the YearFaster. Higher. Stronger. No one has embodied the ideals of the Olympic movement quite like Eric Liddell, star of the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire. After refusing to compete on religious principle in the event in which he was favourite, the 100 metres, at the 1924 Games in Paris, Liddell won an astonishing gold medal in the 400 metres. But instead of pursuing a path of global fame and fortune, he chose to follow his calling as a missionary in the country of his birth, China, a land which then fell under the iron grip of a brutal Japanese army.Liddell became the inspirational leader of the work camp in which he, like many thousands, was interned, and For the Glory is the full story of his life, of his family, of his fellow prisoners and the terrible hardships and atrocities they experienced in the Far East. This is the tale of a sporting icon, a man of honour and principle who paid the ultimate sacrifice while becoming the moral centre of an otherwise unbearable world.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Sports, Christian, Biography Memoir, Audiobook

402 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 7, 2016

Reviews

[Laysee · Rating 4 out of 5]

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” - Jim Elliot

A film that left an indelible impression on me is the 1981 Oscar-winning ‘Chariots of Fire’. It was 1924. Summer Olympics, Paris. Eric Liddell, a 20-year-old Scotsman, son of missionary parents in China, a preacher, refused to run in the heats of the 100 meters event, his strongest race, because he wished to honor the Sabbath. He chose the 400 meters because no other replacement distance was feasible for him. Against all odds and expectations, Liddell won the gold medal in the 400 meters race and established a new world record (47.6 seconds). When Harold Abrahams clinched the 100 meters gold, Liddell was sharing a Sunday message at the pulpit. I was impressed by his unwavering commitment to his priorities and uncompromising obedience to a higher calling. Liddell had a clear-sighted vision: “I am needed in China...And I’m going to run a different race there.”

In the movie, Liddell said, “I know God made me for China, but He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure.” I never forgot these words. In case anyone should think that Liddell was just some holy Christian who did not care to win, Hamilton’s memoir of Liddell’s life will reveal his honest admission that he ran to win and winning did matter to him, no less than to any other athlete. I have always wondered what became of Liddell after the Paris Olympics.

For The Glory: The Untold and Inspiring Story of Eric Liddell is a memoir of Eric Henry Liddell (16 Jan 1902 - 21 Feb 1945). It carefully documented the greater race of Liddell’s life as a missionary in China. The ‘Flying Parson’ as he was fondly known, served in China from the 1920s until his death in an internment camp in Weishien (presently Weifang) in 1945. He was only 43.

The greatest draw of this memoir is not Liddell the Olympic winner but Liddell the man. He led an exemplary life in the most difficult and demanding circumstances. In the turbulent 1920s and 1930s, Liddell witnessed the Nationalists and the Communists fight over ideology, and he comforted and encouraged the Chinese people through the wreckage these opposing parties scattered. The London Missionary Society (LMS) was not at all sympathetic toward missionaries like Liddell who had a young wife and two children. In 1937, the LMS forcibly moved Liddell to Siaochang, China’s outback, to do country evangelism and banned his family from joining him, citing safety issues. Despite his loneliness and personal pain, Liddell became confidant, grief counselor social worker, diplomat, and problem solver to the villagers. When WWII started, and the Japanese subjected China to heinous atrocities, the LMS did not allow Eric to leave China while it was safe to do so. In truth, “The LMS’s lack of worldly awareness, plus its inability to understand China, suggested an organization possessing only the vaguest acquaintance with reality.” In 1941, Eric had no choice but to send his wife, two young daughters, and an unborn child to Toronto. Their parting was unbearable to read. Liddell never saw them again. Liddell and other missionaries were held as prisoners of war in the most appalling of internment camps ravaged by starvation, disease, torture, and threats of death. When we see Liddell in 1944, 18 months in captivity had left him sick and painfully thin. Yet, he was “a reassuring presence, always representing hope.” He preached in church on Sundays and worked harder than anyone every day until curfew hours. Of his strengths, Hamilton said, “..Liddell’s character and his beliefs never allowed him to be depressed or negative, irrespective of the hardships.”; “His heroism was to be forgiving in the most unforgiving of circumstances.” He taught the children and organized activities for them. It was heartening to read that in the sports events hosted to lift the spirits of the community, Liddell (by then spindly thin, balding and in his forties) continued to beat the younger men in running long after the Olympics. It broke my heart to learn that Liddell died of a brain tumor six months before Weishien was liberated in August 1945. His family did not even hear of his death until three months later.

At 388 pages, For The Glory: The Untold and Inspiring Story of Eric Liddell is somewhat long to read but it has touched me at various points. Hamilton, an award winning newspaper journalist, adopted a conscientious, factual, and straightforward prose style. It told the life of Eric Liddell as it was - unadorned. Oh, what a magnificently sacrificial and awe-inspiring life it was! What survived and resonated through time is the love Liddell left behind. Thank you, Mr. Liddell.

[Mahlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric Liddell has long been a sporting hero of mine, so when I found out that Duncan Hamilton, one of the best sports writers working today was writing a new biography of Eric, I eagerly anticipated it's release. Given that several of Mr. Hamilton's brooks have won multiple awards, my expectations were incredibly high, and this book surpassed every one of them!

Eric Liddell is best known for his achievements during the 1924 Olympics, his best event was the hundred meters in which he was expected to win gold, but because the heats for the final took place on a Sunday he refused to participate because of deeply held religious convictions. Instead he decided to run in the 400 m an event which he had very little time to practice for, and which I believe he had never run in competition before. Incredibly, he won the Gold medal. His Olympic experience was later dramatized in the movie Chariots of Fire. Less well-known is his life after 1924, Hamilton postulates that Liddell would have won Gold medals in 28, and probably in 32, even though his Olympic career would've been winding down by then. However, Eric chose to give up competing in the Olympics after 1924, to pursue a higher calling, commitment to missionary work in China where he had been born to missionary parents. Eric made several trips back to Scotland throughout the 20s and 30s, but as the decade went on and things in China got worse, British nationals were urged to leave, Eric's wife and family left in 1941, but he felt compelled to stay. Eventually Foreign missionaries like Eric were rounded up and sent to interment camps. Sadly, Liddell died in February 1945 of a brain tumor before the camp could be liberated.

The author does a wonderful job of balancing the tragedy of a life cut short with the triumphant life that Eric was able to live.

For the Glory is one of the best sports biographies I've ever read, and it's destined to win many awards! Most importantly, it's a book worthy of Eric Liddell's sacrifice.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was barely into my twenties when I met Dr. Maybell Marian Holmes. She had been born to missionaries in China, and later returned to China as a missionary. Her parents had fled China during the Boxer Rebellion. Her father Rev. Thomas D. Holmes wrote a book, China Stories, about his experiences. Dr. Holmes lived into her nineties. But I only knew her for a few years before my husband's work brought a move.

While reading Duncan Hamilton's biography on Eric Liddell, For the Glory, I chastised myself for not having probed Dr. Holmes for stories. She had experienced events of which I had been totally ignorant. To think of what I could have learned!

In the late 19th c the Chinese resented how the West and Japan were influencing their country, both financially and culturally. In 1900 the Boxers, comprised mainly of peasants, rebelled by destroying railroads, killing missionaries, and attacking foreign enclaves and diplomats. President McKinley joined Europeans in sending in troops. The Manchu Dynasty joined with the Boxers. It was the beginning of the Chinese Revolution.

Eric Liddell's parents served as missionaries in China during the Boxer Rebellion until his father suffered a stroke. Eric idolized his father. "Be ye perfect" became Eric's goal, an example set by his father's embodiment of the ideals preached by Jesus.

Most people know Eric Liddell from the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire, which follows his career as a runner in the 1924 Paris Olympics. The movie portrays Eric as a high minded idealist, adamant about keeping the Sabbath; he will not race on Sunday. A friend exchanges races; Eric runs feeling God's pleasure and wins a medal. The movie ends with a few lines about Eric becoming a missionary and dying in China.

1925 Liddell as painted by Eileen Soper http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/Nor...
The story behind Eric's Olympic win is set forth in the first part of Hamilton's book, and he brings Liddell's personality and gifts to life. He comments on ways the movie altered truth for the sake of story. More amazing than Eric's Olympic win is how he won a quarter-mile race at Stoke-on-Kent after being knocked down and losing 30 yards.

Eric's life after winning the gold that is even more riveting to read about, especially the last third of the book about his missionary career in China while under Japanese occupation during WWII. The author is certain he is writing about a saint, and he makes us believe too.

Liddell returning to Japanese occupied China as a missionary
The man in these pages has the mind of a winner, the determination and drive to push himself beyond endurance. It is a trait he took into all his life.

Eric was sent to an isolated village mission in an area which fell to Japanese occupation. After a rare vacation break the mission society sent him back to the mission. It was a fateful decision. Japan had control of the area and little could be done. The missionaries were under house arrest, then rounded up and sent to a concentration camp in a run down former mission school. Over crowded, unsanitary, and claustrophobic the internees struggled to deal with the waste and foraged and developed a Black Market to supplement the scanty food supplied by the Japanese.

Eric kept up a public face of encouragement while teaching in the camp school but also hauling water, cleaning excrement, offering non-judgmental counseling, and organizing sports events and races. During his 18 months in the camp his health declined. He died in the camp, emaciated and weak, after suffering several strokes, He had brain cancer.

For the Glory is an wonderful biography, inspiring and glorious, horrifying and sad. But beyond the sadness there is hope. Liddell's example of loving your enemies inspired a camp internee, Steve Metcalf, to become a missionary to Japan. Metcalf called it 'passing the baton of forgiveness.' To have witnessed the atrocities the Japanese inflicted on the Chinese peasants, and yet forgive them, came out of their deep faith and obedience to the teachings of Jesus.

Eric's daughter, whom he never saw, grew up resentful until she realized her father was "meant" to be in that camp, touching the lives of many, a part of a bigger plan. She realized her family was "meant to share him".

The hymn Be Still My Soul, which had been recently translated by a fellow Scot, became Eric's favorite hymn. Did he know how these words would be needed to comfort him during his earthly trial?

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book for this year so far!!!!
It has touch me deeply and brought tears on my eyes.....
Eric Liddell's biography is a passionate wake up call to all those in whose hearts still dwell a sense of decency, unflinching hope, and the willingness and readiness to sacrifice himself in the face of disastrous and inhuman circumstances.....
People who aims at obtaining and retaining genuine humanity despites relentless sufferings and despotism will find in this book a rich source of strength and encouragement!!!!
Duncan Hamilton indeed has delivered a well researched and documented piece of work, with much love for the details and surroundings. Leaving the reader with an electrifying and colorful image both of Eric Liddell's life and the world he lived in.....
Eric Liddell was born to Scottish missionaries, receiving a deep love for God's word and obtaining faith and convictions which permeated trough his entire life.
Latter on in the 1924 Olympic competition he wins gold as a runner becoming a national hero....
He himself surrendering and being obedient to God's call became a Missionar in China!!!

After having been married and being trapped in the chaos, confusion and violence of the Boxer revolution in China, he is forced to separate himself from his family.....
The book is wonderful written, for sure a page turner!!!
All trough Liddell's life you can grope with the supernatural.....
The Japanese army invaded parts of mainland China, and Liddell finds himself as a prisoner in the Weihsien camp!!!
Lot of sufferings, and the making of a saint....

Let me conclude with some words about the hardcover edition.
A genuine jewel with lots of good documented Fotos. You will love it!!!!

Liddell's last written words directed to his family, on a piece of paper with shaky letters:

"....All will be well...."


My full recommendation with five stars!!!!!!
Dean;)

[Lena Morrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do my reviews in the form of a letter, which is why they are written like this.

Dear Duncan Hamilton,

This book actually deserves 3.5 stars. I just don't like rounding up.
Eric Liddell has to be the most good person who ever lived. He was so kind, selfless, good-natured, and cheerful. Add to that, he was an amazing runner. I loved reading about his life and about his mission. He was such an inspiration. The only thing I felt kinda iffy about was him leaving his family. I know that Christians need to be willing to do so... But to be honest it seemed kind of cruel.
The book was very well written. You used good prose and added in quotes at the best times. I just didn't like a few of the over-explained details. But perhaps they were for some good...
I thought it was so sad how he died. My aunt died of a brain tumor, so it's a soft spot for me.
Thanks for writing this book.

Sincerely,
Lena

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

detailed bio of Eric Liddell who in modern times is remembered as portrayed in the film chariots of fire the author documents his early life in china and his schooling days to Edinburgh and the 1924 Paris games where he won the 400 metres gold and his church work and in later life which was cut shirt the missionary work in china. Hamilton has created a fitting memory and account of a remarkable man

[Eva-Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5

I wish, I wish I could have met him.

[Michael Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring book with a good coverage of Liddell’s life. I would have liked more details on Liddell’s faith and specific beliefs, church associations, etc. But overall a good read.

[Brian Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Inspiring” hardly begins to describe the life and testimony of Eric Liddell. I knew a little about him before this book, particularly his Olympic story as told in “Chariots of Fire.” But that was just the beginning, the bulk of his life before and after dedicated to sharing the love of Christ in China.

The style of the book at times wasn’t quite my cup of tea. One too many narrator-reflections. But that’s barely a blip on a story of such love, courage, faithfulness, and sacrifice. Highly recommend.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tremendously difficult book for me to rate, as it is rare for a book to move me as this one did. If you were to time travel back 20 years and talk to my teen-aged self about the ideal man, I think my description would have sounded very much like this book's description of Eric Liddell - a kind, compassionate, passionate man who was guided by his faith to piety without pretense or judgment of others; a man who was always mindful of his own shortcomings and constantly striving toward perfection. In many ways, that was what I hoped to become, and so I have great sympathy for the older Liddell that is presented in these pages. He even chose as his favorite song a hymn that was one of my own favorites - "Be Still, My Soul."

As I read about his death in a Japanese internment camp during the latter stages of World War II, I found it difficult to hold back the tears. The senselessness and utter brutality of his death mock the closing lines from the first verse of his song:

Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly, Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Liddell spent his last days being told he'd suffered a nervous breakdown and questioning how he could be a good Christian if he had been unable to trust God enough to stay healthy mentally. Of course, he never knew about the massive brain tumor that had been the root cause of his depression, his failing memory, and his frustration. In the end, though, he must have found some sort of peace, as his final words were "All will be well." I like to think that in his final minutes of consciousness, he was able to recall the final verse:

Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

I think the book affected me so strongly because I lost my faith and idealism under far less trying circumstances than Liddell endured. I wish that I were capable of the simple trust and goodness that he displayed. He was truly a remarkable man.

As for the book itself, I'd like to give it five stars, but I just cannot. As a biography, it is sharply lacking. Over the first few chapters, the author does a wonderful job telling the story of Liddell the athlete. At the end, he does well with the story of Liddell the martyr. But in the middle, the book loses its way, and it feels at times as if he's rushing past huge sections of Liddell's life to get to the "good stuff."

It's unclear to me how much blame lies with the author and how much lies with the editor, but there are places that seem to have whole pages or paragraphs excised without cleaning up the following passage. For example, we learn at the end of one page that in 1930, Liddell hoped to return to Britain to spend time with his ailing father only to have the London Missionary Society inform him that he would have to wait for a year. The next page begins with a discussion of what his friends thought upon his return. A whole year is completely unaccounted for, without so much as an attempt at explanation, and an assumption that we know he is back in England.

The author is a sportswriter whose informal writing style occasionally founders under the weight of British colloquialism. More than once, his turns of phrase made no sense to me as an American. This in spite of the fact that he's clearly aware that the book would appeal to an American audience, as evidenced by his references to figures in American sports such as baseball and football, while never mentioning soccer.

In spite of its shortcomings, this book rates among the best I've read in the last year, due largely to its subject. Liddell is an inspiring character whose only thought was doing the right thing. When asked by an interviewer why he'd given up a life of fame and glory in athletics to do missionary work, his reply was simple: "A fellow's life counts for far more at this than the other."

[Shawn George · Rating 3 out of 5]

The life of Eric Liddell is an extraordinary, awe-inspiring one. While I found that Duncan Hamilton's biography was a fairly thorough account of this modern hero's life, I found that the flaws were too numerous to ignore.

This book tries to paint a rich, detailed picture of Mr. Liddell's life. However, it tends to go into excruciating (to the reader) amounts of detail to describe people, places, and events that are only tangentially related to Mr. Liddell. Rather than enhance the story, it detracts by distracting from the story. Often I would spend pages at a time wondering how the topic being described related at all to the main story.

And yet, for all of the author's attention to detail, he seems to reference the faith of Mr. Liddell as little as necessary. There is no exploration as to WHY Liddell held the faith that he did, had the character that he did, or was so dedicated to sharing that faith with the people of China. To the casual reader, one might conclude that Liddell was an admirable man driven by delusional fanaticism.

I appreciate the fact that this book is one of the most thorough and visual accounts of this amazing man's life, both as an Olympian and as a missionary. But it could heavily benefit from a revised edition that removes much of the superfluous detail and adds some of the essential detail.

[Danette · Rating 5 out of 5]

2016 Fantastic! I was captivated by Liddell's story - particularly his and Florence's love story. I had a hard time putting it down, despite my tears.

2021 This book has stuck with me in the five years since I last read it. This time I did the audio version. It is an amazing story about a man who truly surrendered his whole life to God.
I have gifted this book many times in the hope that others will read it and be inspired by Eric Liddell's story.

2016 - A book by or about a missionary.
2021 - A book with an image of a person on the cover

[David West · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well written and tells a powerful story of a great man. I listened to the audiobook and now I want to buy the book and add it to my collection. It's a book that gets inside you and changes you. It tells the story of a man whose life is worth imitating. This book will give you a desire to be a better person, to live unselfishly, and humbly.

[Laurel Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone knows the Eric Liddell of Chariots of Fire. This biography continues his story to his life and death in China. Very well done.

[Jenny Hubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book because of the brief mention of Eric Liddell’s name and story in the podcast Bible in a Year, and I am so happy I did. I loved learning why this Olympic runner gave up his career to serve God. This book is also a good reminder that prioritizing God is not easy but worth it in the end, especially seeing how many people Eric inspired. The presentation of Eric’s story, which included high detail and context of the time period, was thorough and of great quality. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who’s even the slightest bit curious about having a relationship with God and to anyone who wants to become a better person in secular life

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw For the Glory: Eric Liddell's Journey From Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr appear on the 'new books' list at my local library, I knew I would want to read it. I also knew that I would need to rewatch Chariots of Fire. Though I had vague memories of watching it in sixth grade--the other movie we were shown during school time was The Hiding Place--I really didn't know enough about Eric Liddell to commit to reading an almost four-hundred page book. I made time for both book and movie this past month. I'm glad I made the time. I liked the movie very much. But I loved, loved, loved the book.

Do you have to love, love, love sports to love this one? I'd say no. Honestly, though I typically watch track events during the Olympics, it's the one-and-only time I watch track. And track isn't the real reason I tune into the Olympics. I find the Olympics irresistible. Thousands of human interest stories just waiting to unfold. But. I've gotten distracted.

Do you have to have a love of history, a love of World War II in order to love this one? This one is trickier. I can't imagine not loving history and not being fascinated by World War II. The first third of the book covers Eric Liddell's 'running' career in the early 1920s. The second third covers his time as a missionary in China in the 1930s--both as a single man and as a husband and father. The last third of the book covers his time in occupied China as a prisoner in a "work camp" during World War II.
The last third of the book was easily the best. That's not to say that the first two-thirds was lacking. It wasn't. It really wasn't. But I found the last hundred or so pages so compelling, so emotional that I could NOT, would NOT put it down.

Do you have to love God, do you have to be a Christian, to appreciate this one? I would hope not. Eric Liddell's story is worth knowing, trust me. And the more people read this one, the better, in my opinion. That being said. I am a Christian. I found the sections on his missionary life FASCINATING. Particularly his time in the work camp, his time as a prisoner. How he lived--how he died--I'm almost--almost--left without words. It was quite moving. Heart-breaking, inspiring, wonderful and tragic all at the same time.

All I can say is that the movie-makers focused on the wrong stuff. A movie focusing on his life as a missionary would be well-worth watching. That's a movie I would dearly love to see though it would require a lot of tissues!!!!!!

[Tori Samar · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging story presented in a wonderfully well-written book. Just as a personal testament to how much I enjoyed For the Glory, I can say that while I was reading it at work yesterday during a preschool class's naptime, the other teacher tried (and failed) multiple times to get my attention because I was so engrossed in the story!

I think some of the lines I underlined on the very last page encapsulate Liddell's life story quite nicely:
-"He'd once—on that hot July evening in Paris—grasped for an Olympic title as well, knowing nonetheless even as he won it that the glory of gold was nothing in his world compared to the glory of God."
-"'Are you glad you gave your life to missionary work?' [Liddell] was asked. 'Don't you miss the limelight, the rush, the frenzy, the cheers, the rich red wine of victory?'
The part of his reply that really matters is humble and it firmly ranks his missionary responsibilities well ahead of his running. He told his inquisitor: 'A fellow's life counts for far more at this than the other.'"

Indeed it does.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have seen chariots of Fire. I have actually lived as a missionary. In China. In Shandong province, where Liddell died, so this book meant a lot to me. It's so easy to reduce his life to the well-known fact that he refused to run in the Olympics on a Sunday. But truly what happened after the gold is what made him so golden. The consistency, tenacity and sacrifice he lived every single day is breath-taking. I was truly moved. This author appears to refer to Liddell's faith as is if from the outside but not without painstaking precision. He takes a critical tone of the missions agency(which seems very justified). This was new to me. Fresh, good writing with vivid pictures . The biggest, most looming thought I have is just how pervasive and complete Liddell's faith was. When pushed to the brink, he continued in kindness. Even at deaths door, he walked so humbly. Lord, may it be so in me!

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

No doubt Eric Liddell was a man of strong character, a man seeking and serving the Lord. But this book did not do that justice. It was not well-written and I thought Liddell's faith was downplayed and misrepresented by the author throughout. A lot of the other 2-star comments actually hit the nail on the head with the many other reasons I was disappointed with this biography.

[Cori North · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, interesting bio.

[Andrew Wolgemuth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duncan effectively tells the story of Liddell's remarkable, faithful life. His research feels robust, and his narrative runs evenly.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesomely Inspiring

Having seen the movie, it was eminently gratifying to read the rest of Eric Liddle's story. This book makes me want to be a better man.

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never have I felt so stumped on how do I start writing what I think about a book having finished it. This biography on Eric Liddell must be read by everyone – whether you are a Christian or not, or whether you think much of this man or not. Immensely thankfully, this book goes far beyond the premise of Chariots of Fire, and surely I believe what Eric Liddell prefers to be associated with. Even in the final years of his life he avoided talking about his Olympic experience but focused on living as self-sacrificially as possible in order for the love of Christ to be known, received, and experienced by those around him.

Even if a reader is interested primarily on the facts and circumstances leading up to and surrounding his refusal to race on Sunday, this biography is at least a hundred times better than the movie. This biography to me is the ultimate winner in a “the book is better than the movie” bout.

But really, however praiseworthy is Liddell’s commitment and feat at the Paris Olympics, all that pales in comparison to everything in his life. I now turn to the author Duncan Hamilton who wrote this biography. Like Liddell, this biography is a winner. They say you know a person by the people that he associates with and what he reads. And indeed that was how Duncan Hamilton set out to write this biography. I was naturally inquisitive to read the Acknowledgements at the end of the book, and my, agog I was with the research and effort that Hamilton must have made. As a bonus, even the Acknowledgments was a fun chapter to read. Yes, fun.

Hamilton’s biographic storytelling skill is magical. He effortlessly fuses suspense and endearment. I have not come across something like this. Maybe I need to read more books. For an example, I would be led to a cliffhanger – such as thinking that the diagnosis of Liddell’s weakening health was to be revealed – the author went into several heartwarming anecdotes that hinted Liddell’s impending demise and effused his unwavering commitment to show the love of Christ joyfully, before going back to recounting how Eric Liddell eventually perished.

A reader must have a triply seared conscience and heart to not be moved when reading this book. Many who lived with Eric Liddell at Weihsien (today spelt Weixian) Internment Camp asked themselves why did someone like him who gave so much received so little. How could someone who should die a prince die a pauper? To this end I thought to myself dejectedly, if his stubborn love for God’s image-bearers did not lead to his regrettable death, could the gospel have been better and so gloriously displayed?

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eric Liddell was such an extraordinary man and had a great witness for the Lord. I wish I had done more research as to who wrote this bio. While I enjoyed the info on Liddell, the author is a sports writer and his retelling Liddell's life is very factual. While he weaves Eric's faith into the recounting of his life, it is not the central message or point of the book. I didn't enjoy his style - I think I will read another bio on Liddell in the future and this time it being from a fellow believer's perspective.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic book about a giant of a man!

Prior to this reading, all I knew about Eric Liddell came from the movie Chariots of Fire. This book not only clarified the movie's historical inaccuracies, but it carried on well past the end of the movie and described Liddell's life as a missionary in China.

I think there have probably been very few men in the history of the world that were as genuinely good as Eric Liddell. As inspiring as his athleticism was (and still is), I believe I will forever look up to him because of his honesty, his hard work, and his compassion. He is truly a model for all mankind of selfless sacrifice and Christlike service.

[David Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The strength of this biography, beyond the fact that Eric Liddell's life is worth writing about, may be that it is not, strictly speaking, a Christian book. The author does not seem to write from a strictly faith perspective. He simply relates the facts of Liddell's life as they are, without any attempt to "spiritualized" them. The result is an unvarnished telling of a remarkably unblemished life. Humility, selflessness, devotion to God - Eric Liddell apparently reflected each of them in a manner so consistent and sincere that it is impossible to deny them.

By the time you reach the epilogue of Hamilton's work, you will realize how rare such individuals as Liddell are. You wonder whether you can live as he did if you saw God as great as he saw Him, and desired to live unto Him the way he did. The Olympic medal, the question of races not run, almost seem trivial when compared to the question of where God fits into one's own life - which is likely how Eric Liddell would have wanted it.

The audio version is well done, although there are times when the narrator seems to lack engagement with the text. He comes across as merely reading script than telling the challenging story of a man who lived almost entirely for the Glory of God.

I highly recommend this work.

[cloudyskye · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Eric Liddell was anything like the book describes him, he was a truly Christlike man.
Some thoughts:
Great book. I was a little daunted at first, more than 500 pages of nonfiction, but the writing is just so good.
I do wish Eric would have left China with his family in 1941 and gone to Canada or the U.S. to work among Indians.
The atrocities and cruelties described are not for the faint of heart. I was reminded of a childhood event at (I think) the Liebenzeller Mission where there was a display of tiny wooden figures, showing horrific methods of torture in China. Influenced my image of the country to this day. And the Japanese were certainly no choirboys, either, even without the gas chambers.
The movie „Chariots of Fire“ is one of my all-time favourites. In the end we read how Eric Liddell died in occupied China during the war and how „all Scotland mourned“.
I confess I shed a few tears myself …

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Immediately after finishing this, I popped Chariots Of Fire into the DVD player.

But this book takes you beyond his famous Paris Olympics to his life and missionary work in China, and ultimately to his death in a Japanese internment camp. The first third is a thrilling account of Liddell's racing; the middle third a slightly boring account of his work in rural China; and the final, slightly hagiographic third his imprisonment.

So a good book, with some inspiring race sequences (the Stoke 400 Quarter!!!) but just a slight cut below Boys In The Boat.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A competent, thorough and well-researched biography of Eric Liddell, someone I only knew through the lens of Chariots of Fire, but who was, in fact, as this book makes clear, a far more complex, remarkable and yes, heroic man than is portrayed in the film. His Christian faith was the cornerstone of his life, and this is emphasized throughout the book to good effect. My heart went out to him and his family at his tragic death – what a waste of a truly good man.

[Ashleigh Easton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last half was good, but there was so much unnecessary fluff and the time-line is hopelessly confusing. The time-line does settle toward the end, but it's a slow crawl. The author also has a bias on how chariot of fire was incorrect.