Thank you to herbalist and B & H books for the chance to read and review.

I grew up in a Christian environment and have long known the name Elizabeth Eliot, missionary. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more of her life story. Her never changing faith through trials ( including the death of her husband) that refined that faith are amazing.

I did find the second part of the book rather slower and not near as interesting but overall, a solid read.

Thank you for the opportunity.

I have loved Elisabeth Elliot since I was a new believer so I jumped at the chance to read a new in-depth biography about her. This was a wonderful look into more details of her inspiring life and testimony.

loved it so much. really true to her writings and gave us glimpse into her life. I've recommended it to so many people

"Becoming Elisabeth Elliot," penned by Ellen Vaughn, is a captivating exploration of the life and journey of Elisabeth Elliot, a woman whose unwavering faith and courage have inspired countless individuals. The book delves into Elisabeth's transformation from a spirited young woman to a steadfast missionary and writer, showcasing her triumphs, struggles, and the profound impact she left on the world. Vaughn skillfully unveils the heart of Elisabeth's story, emphasizing her determination to follow her beliefs and the lessons she learned along the way.

Through this book, I gained a deeper understanding of how Elisabeth Elliot's experiences shaped her remarkable character. Her unshakable commitment to her faith and her willingness to embrace challenges left a lasting impression on me. The book captures not only the highlights of her life, but also the moments of doubt and vulnerability that made her journey relatable and inspiring. Learning about her time among the Waorani people in the Ecuadorian jungle and her subsequent work as a writer and speaker illuminated her resilience and the transformative power of compassion and forgiveness.

I recommend "Becoming Elisabeth Elliot" to anyone seeking stories of strength, faith, and personal growth. If you're interested in biographies that portray individuals who overcome obstacles with courage and grace, this book is a must-read. It's a powerful reminder that even in the face of adversity, faith can provide the foundation for an impactful life. Whether you're familiar with Elisabeth Elliot's work or encountering her story for the first time, this book offers a moving portrait of a woman who chose to embrace her calling and make a difference in the lives of others.

Becoming Elisabeth Elliot is unlike any other book I have read, and certainly unlike any other biography I have read of her. Having read many of her books before, I was eager to read this biography to give more depth to the stories I know and those I don't, and more background to what makes Elisabeth Elliot who she was. Ellen Vaughn's biography pulls out all the stops and leaves no questions as it pieces together different aspects and times of her life and is truly a well rounded and informative read of the life of Elisabeth Elliot.

Much of this book is compiled thanks to Elisabeth's extensive journaling throughout life - a biographer's dream, I am sure. We can learn so much of her inner workings and thoughts by her journals and it is a gift for a reader.
You can read many of Elisabeth Elliot's books (I sure have) but you truly don't feel like you know her until you read this biography. And then, upon reading her books though again, they will be read in a new light, afresh, with the understanding of what made Elisabeth who she is. And ultimately, her devotion to the scriptures and missional life amidst tragedy should spur you to seek deeper intimacy and obedience to Christ.

A few of my takeaways from "Becoming Elisabeth Elliot" - it is captivating to see how she daily surrendered her circumstances and details and missions to Christ. How she grew up and the way of her family. How she met Jim Elliot at Wheaton. How intentional she was in her studies and life plans. How she saw that union as one that could fulfill her own personal missional calling to translate the new testament into an unknown language. How she followed her husband into the jungle. How she made do when he was away on missions. How , after time, she lived with her daughter amongst the peoples who killed her husband, alongside. How she continued the language work, translating and learning and reaching the Waodani people with the gospel. How she saw that her efforts were not in vain, but even if not, her place and disposition was one to count it all as joy unto Christ in utter devotion to the calling placed on her life.

Of course, there are so many circumstances of Elisabeth Elliot's faithful life which I did not mention here - you will just have to read the book! It is fascinating and full of thought and a life well lived, intentionally, unto Christ. It is clear, upon reading, what makes Elisabeth Elliot who she is - the "becoming" of her, so to speak (as a nod to the title).

Truly, our modern lives feel a little more silly when reading a missionary's biographer, and I am grateful for her story for reeling me back in to what is most important in this life - to know Christ and to glorify Him in all we do.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy to review. Read in summer of 2022 - just now typing the review.

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

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

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

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

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

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

A quality biography. I enjoyed watching Elisabeth (Betty) Elliot's life play out in front of me. She is such an inspiring woman and missionary. We all have our trials in life, and she bore them well. A great example of a Christian to look up to.

Very well done! I will keep my eye out for "part 2" when Ellen Vaughn publishes it, as she has promised.

Recommended for: Adults
Suitable for: Ages 16 & up (Some mature topics are shared.)

What a fascinating look "behind the scenes" of the early life of the woman we know Elisabeth Elliot! Excerpts from letters and journals, as well as careful research from Ellen Vaughn, give us a glimpse into the circumstances that shaped Elisabeth Elliot into the missionary, author, and speaker we so loved and respected. Paired with Elisabeth's daughter Valerie's compilation of Jim and Elisabeth's love letters in Devotedly, as well as Elisabeth's own books recounting that time period, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot provides a more complete picture of this strong, godly woman.

I have always enjoyed reading about Elizabeth Elliot. Her quotes are rich. But this became surprisingly tedious. No idea why I did not enjoy it more.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Elisabeth Elliot. She boldly told the truth. She boldly witnessed to the lost. I remember hearing about Jim Elliot several years after I became a Christian and wanted to know more. I discovered his wife was Elisabeth and read 3 books she wrote. The first one was about Amy Carmichael called, the Chance to Die and the second was, Through Gates of Splendor and lastly, Shadow of the Almighty: Life and Testament of Jim Elliot. Wow, they were life changing and I only wanted to know more about this godly women. The little I learned from reading these didn’t reveal anything except that I thought her severe at times and wondered if she was like that all the time. So I was excited about this book. It showed me a personal view of Elisabeth. Someone I could see.
She survived so many unthinkable tragedies and still lead by example. I’m in awe of her life. I love to read about people who follow Christ because it gives me hope and this book did that.
If you want to see what a Christian life looks like from beginning to end then this is that book. We’re not perfect but we’re determined to finish with Jesus, always proclaiming the gospel.
I highly recommend this and hope it blesses you as much as it did me.
Thanks B&H Books via Netgalley

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book.this is a fascinating true life story I couldn't put down until finished. I highly recommend.

Elisabeth Elliot has been a source of interest for me ever since I wrote a report on her in elementary school (and since we have the same name). As I grew older, I read more of her works, and while I greatly admired her, there were just some aspects I couldn't connect with. This book helped bridge that gap between her different sides and background. Vaughn clearly put a lot of work into this volume, and I expect she will do the same in the forthcoming Part II as well. I'm looking forward to continuing Elliot's biography when it does!

I remember the first time I read anything by Elisabeth Elliot. When I learned about her story and her faithfulness to God throughout it all, I was in awe. She is steadfast and so wise. Anything she writes I implore people to read.

This work brought out a side I hadn't seen before. The humanness of her. I found her to be so relatable in ways that maybe I hadn't seen before. I'm highly encouraged.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an eARC copy of this book!

This is an excellent biography of one of the most well-known modern day Christian missionaries. I’m excited to read the next one which will cover Elisabeth Elliot’s life after coming back to America.

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

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

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

Elisabeth Elliot lived a full, faithful, inspiring life. It’s fascinating reading of the details of her life . I loved this author’s research and the way she used it to give us a fuller understanding of her process of becoming a woman of God that touched many, many lives. It shows her as a very real person that faced joys and sorrows, but always learning and walking forward in God’s truth. An amazing book about an amazing, but real, woman.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I was very glad to read this book. Elisabeth Elliot has long been one of my heroines and mentors. Her whole life has been interesting to me. I enjoyed this book tremendously in so many ways. First, just getting to know her better through letters and diary entries. Secondly, to gain insights into why she would say or do some of the things she did. And thirdly, because I found even more ways that I could follow Jesus in very difficult times. Elisabeth Elliot wasn’t perfect. But even in her imperfections and sins, she still pointed people to Jesus. I want to be like that. I'm thankful for the careful research and creative weaving of the narrative that the author did for this book.

I gratefully received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

An absolutely fantastic look at the early life of Elisabeth Elliot. I cannot wait for the second part of this story. I enjoyed the book so much that I bought my own copy to have and highlight!!

This book was beautifully written, well-researched, positive and upbeat. Fascinating read about a fascinating woman!

Becoming Elisabeth Elliot dives deep into Elisabeth's (known as Betty to most) early life, it continues to tell the story of her time in Ecuador as a missionary, concluding with the Waodani (a remote tribe at the time). The strength of Betty's character and her reliance on God, to follow His leading into living with the tribal group that murdered her husband is inspiring. The author was granted full access to correspondence and journal entries that give authenticity to the story. I have read a fair amount on the tragedy of the 5 missionaries that were killed at Palm Beach (Jim Elliot - Betty's husband included) but was curious to find out more of Betty's life and perspective. What lead her to Ecuador, how did she survive the time after Jim died? I was excited to read this book, from Betty's perspective. I especially liked the learning about Betty after the pivotal moment of the missionaries death (likely because I had already read Through Gates of Splendor and Shadow of the Almighty). I liked watching Betty "grow into herself" and her steadfastness. The author does a good job of showing us how complex and authentic Elisabeth Elliot really was.
This book is not a full biography, it is hinted that there will be another book that tells of her life after Ecuador. i am interested to read that as well.