Becoming Elisabeth Elliot

The perfect read for the upswing of Covid recovery. Elisabeth Elliot has been a hero of mine for over 40 years, and this is a well-researched "authorized" biography of her. Many new details emerge from her life; many blanks filled in. The issue of making Christian icons into "perfect saints" was, I felt, handled well - she was neither placed on a spiritual pedestal, nor, at the same time, torn down from a realistic one. Her early years - her anguish at the loss of Jim - what to do after his passing - all these were full of insight into EE's thinking and decisions. Anything read by EE or about her causes any thinking Christian to consider the same issues in his or her own life.

I gave it a 4 for things that bothered me: 

--I felt like there were a few things that were included that would have mortified EE - such as us being told that she "peed herself" upon a meeting with the head lady of her boarding school. Not sure that was necessary. 

--I felt like the language used to describe the Waodani couples was a little bit too earthy for a biography of this distinguished lady. 

--And just because Elisabeth Elliot, in a depth of frustration, wrote "To hell with zeal!" - it was gratuitous to use that as a chapter title, to draw people in with "Elisabeth Elliot said WHAT?" 

--I saw a few places where the punctation did not appear to be properly edited. 

--I also felt like the author inserted herself in a few places where she could have stepped aside. 

But overall, this is a thoughtful, detailed work, and I am eagerly awaiting Volume II (and wish that the fact that this book was Volume I had been stated as part of the title).