Being Elisabeth Elliot

 

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.